Michael Jackson’s gift, funeral, headstone, and cemetery celebration
November 28, 2009
“Music has been my outlet,” “My gift to all of the lovers in this world. Through it, my music, I know I will live forever.” -Michael Jackson, Ebony Magazine, December 2007
A life of mystery, stardom and controversy. Amazing talent, unusual choices, and fortunes gained and lost. And perhaps most notable, a life of love for his children. Michael Jackson. Rarely does a name elicit such a mixture of opinions and emotions. To fans around the world Michael Jackson was a star, revered for his musical and dancing abilities. Despite his desire for privacy, his was a very public life. Tabloid journalism swirled around his every move. Yet, while parts of his life were often treated as a public circus, his death and memorial somehow brought millions of people together in a remarkable public display of dignity and respect. What happened in the days after Jackson’s death on June 25, 2009 is an interesting study in memorialization. A short private funeral at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California gave Jackson’s family some time for private mourning early in the day of July 7th. The cavalcade then made its way to the Michael Jackson tribute, the first of many public events. Tickets were made available by lottery for the 17,500 seats inside the Staples Centre in Los Angeles; and a crowd of about 5,000 guests, along with thousands of journalists, camera operators and photographers gathered outside. Millions of people around the world watched the televised broadcast. Guests were handed a scrapbook of Jackson photos as they entered the Staples Centre. The 90-minute musical extravaganza included much symbolism. Michael’s brothers – once performers together in the Jackson Five – acted as pallbearers. Each of them wore a single white sequined glove, a look that their sibling had introduced earlier in his career. The opulent bronze casket with 14-karat gold plate handles, and velvet-lined interior was covered in flowers and carried into the venue to the choir singing “Hallelujah, hallelujah, we’re going to see the King.” The stage was arranged to resemble a church sanctuary complete with a stained-glass backdrop. At the back of the stage images of Michael were displayed on giant screens. The Jackson family, including Michael’s three children, played a visible role. His brother Jermaine performed Michael’s favourite song, Smile. Later in the program his entire family joined the other performers on stage for the singing of two of Michael’s most well-known songs – We Are the World and Heal the World. The list of family guests and performers was to be expected at a memorial tribute to someone whose life was spent on stage and in the public eye. Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Smokie Robinson, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Kobe Bryant, civil rights leader, the Reverend Al Sharton, Queen Latifah, Brooke Shields, John Mayer, Motown head, Berry Gordy, Spike Lee, Wesley Snipes, Magic Johnson and Britain’s Got Talent winner, 12-year old Shaheen Jafargholi came to say or sing their
goodbyes to Michael.
On September 3rd, family and close friends of Jackson gathered at Forest Lawn Cemetery for an interment ceremony. His brothers again served as pallbearers and his three children laid a crown on the casket, symbolic of the King of Pop. Motown legend Gladys Knight and songwriter Clifton Davis provided music for the ceremony. Several eulogies were offered, including one by Michael’s father, Joe. At the conclusion of the proceedings, Jackson was laid to rest in the cemetery’s Great Mausoleum. That, however, was not the end of the memorialization of one of the most influential entertainers of all time. Fans in Detroit, where the Jackson Five first gained popularity, have erected a granite tombstone for Michael Jackson in Woodlawn Cemetery. The engraving on the tombstone reads:
Motown Remembers
the King of Pop Michael J. Jackson
Aug. 29, 1958 to June 25, 2009
Songwriter, Singer, Producer, Dancer, Choreographer,
Humanitarian, Jackson 5 Member, Soloist
13 #1 Singles, 13 Grammy’s, 197 Awards
& 37 Top 40 hits
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Motown Legend
Gone Too Soon
Across the Atlantic, a September tribute had been planned for Jackson in Vienna’s Schonbrunn Castle. Due to the desire of the Jackson family to have many music stars performing at this event
more advance planning was needed. The tribute will now be held in London, England sometime in 2010.
And in the US, 158 entries from Jackson fans were received in response to a global competition
to design a fitting memorial for him. The ideas submitted are as large as Michael’s life. Three of the entries propose the building of a new island near Dubai – in the shape of either a dancing Michael Jackson or his profile. He left us with a tremendous gift of music and dance. In return, the world continues to offer an ongoing memorial of respect and admiration for the King of Pop.
Pavarotti and a funeral Celebrated by Thousands
November 26, 2009
Pavarotti and a funeral Celebrated by Thousands
He toured the United States in 1965 encouraged by his soprano singing partner, Joan Sutherland. By the mid seventies he had become well known around the world, sought out for his beauty of tone and perfect pitch – especially in the upper register where his high C became one of his trademarks. In the 1990s his worldwide popularity was further strengthen when he teamed with popular tenors Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras to perform as The Three Tenors. Pavarotti sold more than 100 million records during his career and held the distinction of producing the first classical album to reach the number one spot on the pop charts. He was a generous man, founding the Pavarotti and Friends annual charity concerts in his hometown of Modena, Italy where millions of dollars were earned for United Nations causes. He was invited to sing at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin – his last public performance. After his death, more than a hundred thousand mourners filed past the open white casket, paying their last respects to the tenor whose charisma and voice were celebrated around the world. The funeral attracted 50,000 people, the largest crowd at a commemorative function since the funeral for Pope John Paul II. Guests at his funeral included state and entertainment celebrities such as Italy’s Prime Minister and President; a former UN Secretary; U2’s Bono; tenors Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras; and film director Franco Zeffirelli. At the funeral, inside Modena’s 12th-century Romanesque cathedral, this man who made his mark on the world was remembered as “a messenger of peace and fraternity,” by Prime Minister Romano Prodi. His white maple casket was covered in golden sunflowers, his favorite flowers. Outside, thousands of invited mourners watched the ceremony on large screens. Bulgarian-born soprano Raina Kabaivanska, a long-time friend and sometimes co-star, cried when she sang the Ave Maria from Verdi’s Otello. The Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Gluck’s Orfeo e Euridice was played by flautist Andrea Griminelli, and tenor Andrea Bocelli sang Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus. The most poignant part of the service was the playing of a 1978 recording of Pavarotti and his father singing “Panist Angelicus. To this, crowd responded with a last standing ovation for a man well-loved. Then Italy’s Air Force precision flying team flew over the cathedral, releasing red, white and green smoke in the colors of the Italian flag. The event was televised live on RAI, Italy’s state broadcaster. Pavarotti’s friend, Italian rock singer Zucchero wrote this message in a memorial book. “I hope St. Peter welcomes you with a chunk of parmesan and a bottle of Lambrusco, ice-cold as you like it.” With the public outpouring complete his family moved on to a private burial at the Montale Rangone cemetery, in the family’s tomb, next to his father Fernando, mother Adele and a stillborn son.
Unique Memorial Art Gallery Celebrating Life
November 1, 2009
Tucked away on a quiet American hillside is one of the most stunning and unique art exhibits in the world. This amazing exhibition isn’t in a museum or a gallery – it’s in a cemetery. Hope Cemetery is located in Barre, Vermont, home to one of the world’s largest granite quarries. Early in the 20th century the abundance of quality granite attracted many gifted European stone cutters and sculptors to Barre, where the craft still thrives today.
Hope Cemetery, created by renowned landscape artist Edward Adams, opened in 1895. Its location in Barre provided local stone artisans with a gallery for their work. When it first opened it was 53 acres and has since expanded to 65. The outdoor exhibit contains an amazing 10,000 monuments, many of which are distinctly unique and intricately carved. All are created from Barre Grey granite. One of the cemetery’s most unusual monuments is a pajama-clad couple holding hands in what looks like a bed, their torsos against a single headboard, and their legs in twin tomb beds. The inscription on the monument reads: “Set me as a seal upon thine heart for love is strong as death – Song of Solomon 8:6.” Another loved one is remembered in a raised relief of a soldier smoking; a woman’s face floats in the haze wafting from the cigarette. Other stone sculptures feature items such as a large soccer ball, a race car, lumber trucks, airplanes, a life-sized, stuffed easy chair with Bettini inscribed into it, and a square monument simply inscribe “Hurry.” One riveting monument is cut from a single block of granite and is inscribed “Elia Corti.” It features a life-sized image of a man sitting on a rock ledge in a contemplative pose. The hand-carved sculpture is so detailed and intricate that the figure looks as if it might spring from the rock. The carving was done by the brother of the deceased. Both brothers were stone cutters. In fact, many of the monuments were created by stone cutters for other deceased stone cutters or their families. There are stories that suggest some cutters created their own unique monuments before passing on. “The desire to be remembered is something that differentiates human beings from other animals,” says Dave Reeson, president of Remco Memorials, a close follower of memorial practices in North America. Reeson said more and more people are looking for special ways to keep the memories of their loved ones alive. “It’s one of the last things a family can do for a loved one that has passed on. It allows those who are grieving to say goodbye, while knowing there is a permanent spot where they can return, to visit.” Reeson says monuments such as those at Hope Cemetery allow families to memorialize the personality of the deceased. “It’s not the recording of the date of birth and death that’s important, it’s everything in between. What’s important is what the monument says about the life of that individual.” Hope Cemetery attracts thousands of visitors from around the world. All visitors share in the warm memories that creatively and permanently honor those who have gone before.