Los Angeles (AP) --
An emotional public memorial for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles.
The ceremony attended by thousands in the downtown Staples Center and watched by millions around the world had a spiritual tone punctuated by performances and remembrances.
Jackson's three children joined his siblings and celebrities on stage for the finale Tuesday.
His daughter Paris-Michael Katherine, in the arms of her aunt Janet, tearfully told the audience that she loves her father.
Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey and Lionel Richie are among those who paid tribute to Michael Jackson through song at today's memorial service.
Looking on from the front row were members of the Jackson family, including brother Jermaine -- who took the stage and sang the standard "Smile" as he fought back tears. The Jackson family had earlier gathered at an area cemetery for a private service.
Michael Jackson's golden casket sat in front of the stage during the event.
Police in Los Angeles can already breathe a sigh of relief.
They had projected a crowd of 250,000 or more in the area around Staples Center during today's memorial for Michael Jackson. And they had issued statements asking people without tickets to stay away.
It appears that those appeals may have been heard. A deputy police chief says besides reporters and people with tickets to the event, the crowd around the Staples Center perimeter numbered only about 1,000.
Police had based their crowd projection on the turnouts for the funerals of Princess Diana and Elvis Presley, along with the recent Los Angeles Lakers NBA championship parade.
Among the fans who gathered to remember Michael Jackson was a man who flew in from England, even before he knew he had won a ticket to the memorial. Melvin Price says he's been a Jackson fan for 35 years.
One woman who drove from Arkansas says she just wanted to be nearby, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to get in.
A lot of Michael Jackson fans who were lucky enough to get tickets to the memorial service had to make quick arrangements to leave their homes, their families and their jobs.
A San Francisco couple scrambled to find flights, a hotel and a baby sitter to watch their kids -- as well as workers to run their bar. Jason Baker says, '"We weren't going to miss this."
A southern California woman said she was thrilled to be among the fans outside Staples -- but that she felt guilty for calling in sick to her job at a defense contractor.
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