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Fans Gather In Times Square To Watch Michael Jackson Memorial


'You understand the scope and what he meant to the world,' one fan says of crowd gathered in New York.

by Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Akshay Bhansali
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Michael Jackson fans in Times Square as they watch the Jackson memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday  (Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images )


In the center of the city that never stops, Michael Jackson's fans gathered in Times Square to watch screens playing Jackson's memorial service live from the Staples



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Center in Los Angeles.

The crowd proved that Jackson's music transcended race, gender and age, as fans from across the world carried signs and posters as a tribute to the late singer. There was a sense of community in a group as diverse as the music that Jackson made over the span of his 40-plus-year career.

And although these fans couldn't be in Los Angeles to personally experience the celebrity-filled Jackson memorial, there in the middle of New York City on a sunny, warm July day, his fans remembered him as footage of the memorial played on every screen in Times Square.

Marcus Hilliard from Mississippi told MTV News, "This is actually my first trip to New York, so it's actually different experience. Obviously Michael Jackson passed away and everything, and seeing all these people out here makes you realize how much of an icon he was. Just seeing this overwhelming support of people here is amazing. There is a deep sense of community out here. No matter how you felt about him, you loved his music."

"It's really amazing. You really don't understand the scope when you watch it on television," Gerald Harrison from Durham, North Carolina said. "When you come out here and there's thousands of people in Times Square, you understand the scope and what he meant to the world."

But it wasn't just Americans paying their respects — people from as far off as the Philippines, Brazil and Russia made their way to New York. "I'm a dancer and I saw all of his videos, and I think every Russian people ... with Michael Jackson, it's a big sorrow from our people in the world," Masha, a dancer from Russia, told MTV News. "He's a big star in the world ... last night watching his video, I thought, 'I want to dance!' "

For complete coverage of the life, career and passing of the legendary entertainer, visit "Michael Jackson Remembered."

Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below.


This report is provided by MTV News




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