2010 – RIP- Ronnie James Dio (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010) was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser Hear ‘n Aid. He was widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, He died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010.
In 1980, Dio sang the tracks “To Live for the King” and “Mask of the Great Deceiver” on Kerry Livgren’s solo album Seeds of Change. Dio, who was between stints as singer for Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and Black Sabbath, later proved somewhat controversial among Livgren’s Christian fans, as Black Sabbath and Dio were then perceived as “satanic” by many Christians. Dio said in an interview that he did not consider the album to be a “Christian” album and had performed on it as a favor to Livgren.
In 1982, the mixing of the live album Live Evil led to Dio and drummer Vinny Appice quitting the band to form the band Dio.
In 1997, Dio made a cameo on Pat Boone’s In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, an album of famous heavy metal songs played in big band style. Dio can be heard singing backup on Boone’s take of the Dio song, “Holy Diver”.
In 2000, Century Media released Holy Dio: Tribute to Ronnie James Dio, an album featuring a number of covers by mainly power metal bands.
Tenacious D has written a tribute song entitled “Dio” that appears on their self-titled album, Tenacious D, that calls for the singer to “pass the torch” on to them. Reportedly, Dio approved of it, and had Tenacious D appear in his video “Push”. He also appeared in the film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, playing himself. However, on VH1, some have interpreted small clips of an interview with him as expressing resentment at the idea that he needs to “pass the torch” and seemed uncertain that Tenacious D is worthy of such an honor. When viewed in full, this interview is clearly done in good humor.
In 2005, Dio was revealed to be the voice behind Dr. X in Operation: Mindcrime II, the sequel to Queensrÿche’s seminal concept album Operation: Mindcrime. His part was shown in a prerecorded video on the subsequent tour, and Ronnie appeared onstage to sing the part live on at least one occasion (both shown on the Mindcrime at the Moore DVD).
During September 2005, Dio toured Siberia and Russia’s far east, kicking off in Khabarovsk.
In October 2006, it was confirmed that Dio would be joining Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and former Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice to tour under the moniker Heaven & Hell, which was the title of the first Dio era Black Sabbath album. They chose the name Heaven & Hell as Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler are still in the Black Sabbath band with Ozzy Osbourne and felt it was best to use a different moniker for the Dio version of the band. Original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward was to be involved in this project, but he later withdrew. In 2008 the band completed a 98-date world tour.
In 2006, Dio appeared in Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny playing himself. He plays a small role at the beginning of the movie, where Lil’ JB, played by Troy Gentile, is angry because his father, played by Meat Loaf, won’t let him play rock because he thinks it’s the devil’s music. Lil’ JB then prays to a poster of Dio to help him out. Dio comes to life and urges him in song to “leave his oppressive neighborhood” and head to Hollywood.
On January 17, 2007, he was inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame at Guitar Center on Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard.
Personal life
Dio married his first wife, Loretta Berardi (born 1941), sometime in the 1960s. They adopted one son, Dan Padavona (born July 1968), who works as a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Binghamton, New York.
After divorcing Berardi, he married Wendy Galaxiola (born 1947), who also served as his manager. In the 1980s she managed the Los Angeles rock bands Rough Cutt and Hellion. She is the chair of the privately sponsored organization, Children of the Night, dedicated to rescuing America’s children from prostitution. Dio remained married to Galaxiola until his death.
Cancer and death
On November 25, 2009, Wendy announced that Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer:
“Ronnie has been diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer. We are starting treatment immediately at the Mayo Clinic. After he kills this dragon, Ronnie will be back on stage, where he belongs, doing what he loves best, performing for his fans. Long live rock and roll, long live Ronnie James Dio. Thanks to all the friends and fans from all over the world that have sent well wishes. This has really helped to keep his spirit up.”
On March 14, 2010, Wendy posted an online update on his condition:
“It has been Ronnie’s 7th chemo, another cat scan and another endoscopy, and the results are good – the main tumour has shrunk considerably, and our visits to Houston (cancer clinic in Texas) are now every three weeks instead of every two weeks.”
On May 4, 2010, Heaven and Hell announced they were cancelling all summer dates as a result of Dio’s ill health.
Dio died at 7:45 am (CDT) on May 16, 2010, according to official sources.
Wendy said on Dio’s official site:
“Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.”
Legacy
Dio’s career spanned 6 decades from 1957 to 2010 and became known as one of the most powerful and unique voices in rock music after performing with bands such as Rainbow, Black Sabbath and his own band Dio.
Classic Rock Magazine awarded Dio with the “Metal Guru Award” at their yearly “Roll Of Honour” awards ceremony in 2006.
On January 17, 2007, Dio was inducted into Guitar Center’s Rock Walk of Fame in Hollywood, CA.
Dio was named “Best Metal Singer” at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in April 2010.
2010 – RIP- Ronnie James Dio (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010) was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser Hear ‘n Aid. He was widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, He died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010.
In 1980, Dio sang the tracks “To Live for the King” and “Mask of the Great Deceiver” on Kerry Livgren’s solo album Seeds of Change. Dio, who was between stints as singer for Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and Black Sabbath, later proved somewhat controversial among Livgren’s Christian fans, as Black Sabbath and Dio were then perceived as “satanic” by many Christians. Dio said in an interview that he did not consider the album to be a “Christian” album and had performed on it as a favor to Livgren.
In 1982, the mixing of the live album Live Evil led to Dio and drummer Vinny Appice quitting the band to form the band Dio.
In 1997, Dio made a cameo on Pat Boone’s In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, an album of famous heavy metal songs played in big band style. Dio can be heard singing backup on Boone’s take of the Dio song, “Holy Diver”.
In 2000, Century Media released Holy Dio: Tribute to Ronnie James Dio, an album featuring a number of covers by mainly power metal bands.
Tenacious D has written a tribute song entitled “Dio” that appears on their self-titled album, Tenacious D, that calls for the singer to “pass the torch” on to them. Reportedly, Dio approved of it, and had Tenacious D appear in his video “Push”. He also appeared in the film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, playing himself. However, on VH1, some have interpreted small clips of an interview with him as expressing resentment at the idea that he needs to “pass the torch” and seemed uncertain that Tenacious D is worthy of such an honor. When viewed in full, this interview is clearly done in good humor.
In 2005, Dio was revealed to be the voice behind Dr. X in Operation: Mindcrime II, the sequel to Queensrÿche’s seminal concept album Operation: Mindcrime. His part was shown in a prerecorded video on the subsequent tour, and Ronnie appeared onstage to sing the part live on at least one occasion (both shown on the Mindcrime at the Moore DVD).
During September 2005, Dio toured Siberia and Russia’s far east, kicking off in Khabarovsk.
In October 2006, it was confirmed that Dio would be joining Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and former Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice to tour under the moniker Heaven & Hell, which was the title of the first Dio era Black Sabbath album. They chose the name Heaven & Hell as Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler are still in the Black Sabbath band with Ozzy Osbourne and felt it was best to use a different moniker for the Dio version of the band. Original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward was to be involved in this project, but he later withdrew. In 2008 the band completed a 98-date world tour.
In 2006, Dio appeared in Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny playing himself. He plays a small role at the beginning of the movie, where Lil’ JB, played by Troy Gentile, is angry because his father, played by Meat Loaf, won’t let him play rock because he thinks it’s the devil’s music. Lil’ JB then prays to a poster of Dio to help him out. Dio comes to life and urges him in song to “leave his oppressive neighborhood” and head to Hollywood.
On January 17, 2007, he was inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame at Guitar Center on Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard.
Personal life
Dio married his first wife, Loretta Berardi (born 1941), sometime in the 1960s. They adopted one son, Dan Padavona (born July 1968), who works as a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Binghamton, New York.
After divorcing Berardi, he married Wendy Galaxiola (born 1947), who also served as his manager. In the 1980s she managed the Los Angeles rock bands Rough Cutt and Hellion. She is the chair of the privately sponsored organization, Children of the Night, dedicated to rescuing America’s children from prostitution. Dio remained married to Galaxiola until his death.
Cancer and death
On November 25, 2009, Wendy announced that Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer:
“Ronnie has been diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer. We are starting treatment immediately at the Mayo Clinic. After he kills this dragon, Ronnie will be back on stage, where he belongs, doing what he loves best, performing for his fans. Long live rock and roll, long live Ronnie James Dio. Thanks to all the friends and fans from all over the world that have sent well wishes. This has really helped to keep his spirit up.”
On March 14, 2010, Wendy posted an online update on his condition:
“It has been Ronnie’s 7th chemo, another cat scan and another endoscopy, and the results are good – the main tumour has shrunk considerably, and our visits to Houston (cancer clinic in Texas) are now every three weeks instead of every two weeks.”
On May 4, 2010, Heaven and Hell announced they were cancelling all summer dates as a result of Dio’s ill health.
Dio died at 7:45 am (CDT) on May 16, 2010, according to official sources.
Wendy said on Dio’s official site:
“Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.”
Legacy
Dio’s career spanned 6 decades from 1957 to 2010 and became known as one of the most powerful and unique voices in rock music after performing with bands such as Rainbow, Black Sabbath and his own band Dio.
Classic Rock Magazine awarded Dio with the “Metal Guru Award” at their yearly “Roll Of Honour” awards ceremony in 2006.
On January 17, 2007, Dio was inducted into Guitar Center’s Rock Walk of Fame in Hollywood, CA.
Dio was named “Best Metal Singer” at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in April 2010.
2010 – Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren has died after a cancer battle. He was 64.
He died this morning. Spokesman Les Molloy says: “He’d been suffering from cancer for some time, but recently he’d been full of health. It rapidly deteriorated.”
McLaren was one of the most colourful figures of the mid-seventies punk revolution, manipulating the Sex Pistols’ career so they became the mouthpiece of a generation.
The relationship between McLaren and the Pistols went sour but he remained involved in the music industry, managing bands including the New York Dolls and Bow Wow Wow, and even releasing his own singles.
He was a proponent of situationist art, which tries to encourage social change by underlining the absurdity of the way we’re made to live in the modern world.
Pistols frontman John Lydon, who was encouraged by McLaren but wound up disillusioned by the band’s image and the “Johnny Rotten” character that his manager influenced, says: “Malc was always entertaining, and I hope you remember that. He was an entertainer and I will miss him, and so should you.” On his website he signs his statement “Johnny Rotten”.
Ex-partner and former fashion collaborator Vivienne Westwood says: “When we were young and I fell in love with Malcolm, I thought he was beautiful. I still do. The thought of him dead is really very sad.”
BBC creative boss Alan Yentob comments: “Malcolm was a man of ideas. He was always thinking of the next one. He said his grandmother told him you need to be a bad boy to survive. He wanted to shock and surprise you. He loved the idea of it and sold it to the public, and understood what it meant.”
After the punk era McLaren wanted to manage the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but believed they had to change from their alt-rock ethic to create a more simplistic sound. Frontman Anthony Kiedis said: “We were flattered by his interest, but the answer was ‘no’.”
His body will be returned from Switzerland to the UK for burial at Highgate Cemetary. His son Joseph was with him when he died.
2010 – Singer/songwriter and Elton John and Pink Floyd collaborator Lesley Duncan has died aged 66.
Duncan passed away on Friday (March 12) aged 66 after suffering from cerebrovascular disease.
As well as carving out her own career in the mid-’60s following a move from her native Stockton-On-Tees to London, Duncan performed vocals on Elton John’s album ‘Madman Across The Water’, Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ and Ringo Starr’s ‘Goodnight Vienna’.
Duncan also worked with Dusty Springfield, while John recorded a version of her song ‘Love Song’ for his 1970 album ‘Tumbleweed Connection’, which she contributed vocals too (listen to it below).
The singer went on to release the albums ‘Everything Changes’ in 1974, ‘Moonbathing’ in 1975 and 1977′s ‘Maybe It’s Lost’.
2009 – Yahoo annouced Yesterday, December 3rd, that Michael Jackson’s Death was the most searched term for there search engine on the Internet. A record Previously held by Britney Spears.
Lucy Vodden. The inspiration behind John Lennon's song, 'Lucy in the sky with diamonds'
2009 – Lucy Vodden Dead: ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ Dies At 46
LONDON — Lucy Vodden, who provided the inspiration for the Beatles’ classic song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” has died after a long battle with lupus. She was 46.
Her death was announced Monday by St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, where she had been treated for the chronic disease for more than five years, and by her husband, Ross Vodden. Britain’s Press Association said she died last Tuesday. Hospital officials said they could not confirm the day of her death.
Vodden’s connection to the Beatles dates back to her early days, when she made friends with schoolmate Julian Lennon, John Lennon’s son.
Julian Lennon, then 4 years old, came home from school with a drawing one day, showed it to his father, and said it was “Lucy in the sky with diamonds.”
At the time, John Lennon was gathering material for his contributions to “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” a landmark album released to worldwide acclaim in 1967.
The elder Lennon seized on the image and developed it into what is widely regarded as a psychedelic masterpiece, replete with haunting images of “newspaper taxis” and a “girl with kaleidoscope eyes.”
Rock music critics thought the song’s title was a veiled reference to LSD, but John Lennon always claimed the phrase came from his son, not from a desire to spell out the initials LSD in code.
Vodden lost touch with Julian Lennon after he left the school following his parents’ divorce, but they were reunited in recent years when Julian Lennon, who lives in France, tried to help her cope with the disease.
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He sent her flowers and vouchers for use at a gardening center near her home in Surrey in southeast England, and frequently sent her text messages in an effort to buttress her spirits.
“I wasn’t sure at first how to approach her,” Julian Lennon told the Associated Press in June. “I wanted at least to get a note to her. Then I heard she had a great love of gardening, and I thought I’d help with something she’s passionate about, and I love gardening too. I wanted to do something to put a smile on her face.”
In recent months, Vodden was too ill to go out most of the time, except for hospital visits.
She enjoyed her link to the Beatles, but was not particularly fond of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”
“I don’t relate to the song, to that type of song,” she told the Associated Press in June. “As a teenager, I made the mistake of telling a couple of friends at school that I was the Lucy in the song and they said, ‘No, it’s not you, my parents said it’s about drugs.’ And I didn’t know what LSD was at the time, so I just kept it quiet, to myself.”
Vodden is the latest in a long line of people connected to the Beatles who died at a relatively young age.
The list includes John Lennon, gunned down at age 40, manager Brian Epstein, who died of a drug overdose when he was 32, and original band member Stuart Sutcliffe, who died of a brain hemorrhage at 21.
A spokeswoman for Julian Lennon and his mother, Cynthia Lennon, said they were “shocked and saddened” by Vodden’s death.
Angie Davidson, a lupus sufferer who is campaign director of the St. Thomas’ Lupus Trust, said Vodden was “a real fighter” who had worked behind the scenes to support efforts to combat the disease.
“It’s so sad that she has finally lost the battle she fought so bravely for so long,” said Davidson.
It was 40 years ago today that Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play and, although she did not perform on the album, a Surbiton housewife confirms today that she was the inspiration for one of its most famous songs.
Myth and rumour have surrounded the real-life inspiration for Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, John Lennon’s swirling ode to psychedelia.
It was first thought that the singer’s muse was Lucy Richardson, a Suffolk schoogirl who went on to become a film art director.
Then speculation centred on the daughter of the comedian Peter Cook. And many believe that the song is a disguised paean to the joys of LSD. But Beatles biographers and accounts by the band members confirm that Lucy O’Donnell is the only possible source for the song.
Lucy, now a 43-year-old housewife from Surrey, was a classmate of John’s son, Julian, at Heath House nursery school in Weybridge. Her moment of fame came in 1967, when Julian came home from school with a drawing of a girl surrounded by stars. John asked him what it was. “It’s Lucy, in the sky with diamonds,” Julian said.
2009 - Jake Brockman, former keyboard player with Echo and the Bunnymen was killed when his motorbike was in collision with a converted ambulance on the Isle of Man. In 1989 the band’s first drummer Pete De Freitas died in a similar crash.
2009 – The Los Angeles coroner confirmed Michael Jackson’s death was homicide, primarily caused by the powerful anaesthetic Propofol. The singer suffered a cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home in June, aged 50. The report said Propofol and the sedative Lorazepam were the “primary drugs responsible for Jackson’s death”, but four further drugs were also found.
2009 – Guitar legend-inventor Les Paul dies at age 94
Aug 13, 12:56 PM (ET)
By LUKE SHERIDAN
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) – Les Paul, who invented the solid-body electric guitar later wielded by a legion of rock ‘n’ roll greats, died Thursday of complications from pneumonia. He was 94.
According to Gibson Guitar, Paul died at White Plains Hospital. His family and friends were by his side.
As an inventor, Paul also helped bring about the rise of rock ‘n’ roll with multitrack recording, which enables artists to record different instruments at different times, sing harmony with themselves, and then carefully balance the tracks in the finished recording.
The use of electric guitar gained popularity in the mid-to-late 1940s, and then exploded with the advent of rock in the mid-’50s.
“Suddenly, it was recognized that power was a very important part of music,” Paul once said. “To have the dynamics, to have the way of expressing yourself beyond the normal limits of an unamplified instrument, was incredible. Today a guy wouldn’t think of singing a song on a stage without a microphone and a sound system.”
A tinkerer and musician since childhood, he experimented with guitar amplification for years before coming up in 1941 with what he called “The Log,” a four-by-four piece of wood strung with steel strings.
“I went into a nightclub and played it. Of course, everybody had me labeled as a nut.” He later put the wooden wings onto the body to give it a tradition guitar shape.
In 1952, Gibson Guitars began production on the Les Paul guitar.
Pete Townsend of the Who, Steve Howe of Yes, jazz great Al DiMeola and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page all made the Gibson Les Paul their trademark six-string.
Over the years, the Les Paul series has become one of the most widely used guitars in the music industry. In 2005, Christie’s auction house sold a 1955 Gibson Les Paul for $45,600.
In the late 1960s, Paul retired from music to concentrate on his inventions. His interest in country music was rekindled in the mid-’70s and he teamed up with Chet Atkins for two albums. The duo were awarded a Grammy for best country instrumental performance of 1976 for their “Chester and Lester” album.
With Mary Ford, his wife from 1949 to 1962, he earned 36 gold records for hits including “Vaya Con Dios” and “How High the Moon,” which both hit No. 1. Many of their songs used overdubbing techniques that Paul had helped develop.
“I could take my Mary and make her three, six, nine, 12, as many voices as I wished,” he recalled. “This is quite an asset.” The overdubbing technique was highly influential on later recording artists such as the Carpenters.
Released in 2005, “Les Paul & Friends: American Made, World Played” was his first album of new material since those 1970s recordings. Among those playing with him: Peter Frampton, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Richie Sambora.
“They’re not only my friends, but they’re great players,” Paul told The Associated Press. “I never stop being amazed by all the different ways of playing the guitar and making it deliver a message.”
Two cuts from the album won Grammys, “Caravan” for best pop instrumental performance and “69 Freedom Special” for best rock instrumental performance. (He had also been awarded a technical Grammy in 2001.)
Paul was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005.
Paul was born Lester William Polfus, in Waukseha, Wis., on June 9, 1915. He began his career as a musician, billing himself as Red Hot Red or Rhubarb Red. He toured with the popular Chicago band Rube Tronson and His Texas Cowboys and led the house band on WJJD radio in Chicago.
In the mid-1930s he joined Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians and soon moved to New York to form the Les Paul Trio, with Jim Atkins and bassist Ernie Newton.
Meanwhile, he had made his first attempt at audio amplification at age 13. Unhappy with the amount of volume produced by his acoustic guitar, Paul tried placing a telephone receiver under the strings. Although this worked to some extent, only two strings were amplified and the volume level was still too low.
By placing a phonograph needle in the guitar, all six strings were amplified, which proved to be much louder. Paul was playing a working prototype of the electric guitar in 1929.
His work on taping techniques began in the years after World War II, when Bing Crosby gave him a tape recorder. Drawing on his earlier experimentation with his homemade record-cutting machines, Paul added an additional playback head to the recorder. The result was a delayed effect that became known as tape echo.
Tape echo gave the recording a more “live” feel and enabled the user to simulate different playing environments.
Paul’s next “crazy idea” was to stack together eight mono tape machines and send their outputs to one piece of tape, stacking the recording heads on top of each other. The resulting machine served as the forerunner to today’s multitrack recorders.
In 1954, Paul commissioned Ampex to build the first eight-track tape recorder, later known as “Sel-Sync,” in which a recording head could simultaneously record a new track and play back previous ones.
He had met Ford, then known as Colleen Summers, in the 1940s while working as a studio musician in Los Angeles. For seven years in the 1950s, Paul and Ford broadcast a TV show from their home in Mahwah, N.J. Ford died in 1977, 15 years after they divorced.
In recent years, even after his illness in early 2006, Paul played Monday nights at New York night spots. Such stars as Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler, Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Van Halen came to pay tribute and sit in with him.
“It’s where we were the happiest, in a ‘joint,’” he said in a 2000 interview with the AP. “It was not being on top. The fun was getting there, not staying there – that’s hard work.”
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — Berry Gordy called Michael Jackson the “greatest entertainer that ever lived” as family, friends, colleagues and fans gathered to remember the King of Pop at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Tuesday.
Michael Jackson’s casket is placed in front of the stage at the Staples Center.
“The more I think and talk about Michael Jackson, I feel the King of Pop is not big enough for him,” Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, said as the crowd rose to its feet. “I think he is simply — I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived.”
Jackson’s golden casket was placed in front of the stage at his memorial as a choir sang.
Several of Jackson’s older brothers served as pallbearers, carrying the coffin to the stage as the Andrae Crouch choir sang “Soon and Very Soon.”
The stage at the Staples Center resembled a church sanctuary with a stain-glassed backdrop.
Mariah Carey was joined by Trey Lorenz singing The Jackson 5′s 1970 hit “I’ll Be there” as a montage of Jackson photographs appeared on arena screens.
Queen Latifah, saying she was on stage to represent “millions of fans inspired by Michael,” said “Michael was the biggest star on earth.” Lionel Richie then performed the song “Jesus is Love.” Stevie Wonder took the stage to sing “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer.”
Smokey Robinson read personal messages from several of Jackson’s celebrity friends who could not attend.
“Michael was a personal love of mine, a treasured part of my life, part of the fabric of my life, in a way that I can’t seem to find words to express” Diana Ross said in a message read by Smokey Robinson.
Robinson also read a message from Nelson Mandela, saying they had grown close after trips and performances in South Africa.
“We had great admiration for his talent and that he was able to triumph over tragedy on so many occasions in his life. Michael was a giant and a legend in the music industry. And we mourn with the millions of fans worldwide,” Robinson said, relaying Mandela’s message. “We also mourn with his family and his friends over the loss of our dear friend.”
The public memorial began after Jackson’s family and closest friends attended a gathering at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills on Tuesday morning.
Jackson’s family and friends were at the chapel, which can hold about 1,000 people. Seven men carried the golden casket covered in red flowers from Forest Lawn’s Hall of Liberty.
“It wouldn’t be fair for the fans who are going to appear and be here at the Staples Center not to see his casket,” Teddy Riley, a singer who worked closely with Jackson on several albums, said. Watch Riley talk about working with Jackson »
An army of fans poured into Los Angeles from places far-flung, hoping to collectively mourn their idol in a massive ceremony.
Thousands appeared to be on hand, but the atmosphere was peaceful, almost festive. People waited patiently, talking to each other, taking pictures and singing Jackson songs. Some fans were excited, others somber, as they entered the arena.
Parking lots in the area raised their prices, some as high as $30. Airports in Southern California saw a spike in bookings. And several movie theaters in the area announced special screenings of the event, which also will be carried live by some television networks and Web sites.
The first fans — those holding the best seats — began entering the arena at 7:30 a.m. The service is set to start at 10 a.m. (1 p.m. ET).
Deka Motanya, a San Francisco, California, woman who won tickets in the computer lottery, posted a message on Twitter just before 9 a.m. saying she had reached her “not-too-bad seats.” “(M)ichael jackson music playing. people filling in; very organized w/ assigned seats” her message said.
We’ve just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.
Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We’re told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.
A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived.
Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but they had no luck.
We’re told one of the staff members at Jackson’s home called 911.
LaToya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.
Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II.
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