For Jackson Memorial , Dancing and Mourning LOS ANGELES — Smokey Robinson read messages from Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela . Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz performed the song “ I ’ ll Be There . ” And Queen Latifah read a poem from Maya Angelou . We had him , ” Ms . Latifah read . “ Whether we knew who he was or did not know , he was ours . ” Michael Jackson , the pop star whose life was a complicated tale of celebrity , is being honored at a memorial service at the Staples Center here as millions watch on live television . He died at age 50 on June 25 in Los Angeles . The center was filled almost to capacity by fans who had won free tickets in a random lottery , and friends and others who had known him since he began his career singing with his brothers in the Jackson 5 . Berry Gordy , the Motown founder who helped develop the Jackson 5 , said of him at the service , “ I think quite simply he was the greatest entertainer that ever lived . ” Earlier Tuesday morning , family members and close friends of Mr . Jackson attended a private service at the Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills , a San Fernando Valley cemetery . That service began at about 8 : 30 a . m . local time and lasted less than an hour , before the group , and the casket , made its way to downtown Los Angeles . About 50 movie theaters around the country , from Los Angeles to Washington , were planning to broadcast the memorial service , The Associated Press reported , which is also to feature performances by Stevie Wonder , Usher , Lionel Richie , Kobe Bryant , Jennifer Hudson , John Mayer and Martin Luther King III . Before the memorial service began , Mr . Jackson ’ s casket , covered in red flowers , was carried into the center and placed in front of the stage . Celebrity guests — from Mickey Rooney to Kobe Bryant — came in on a black carpet . Mr . Rooney walked in with his wife , Jan , wearing a United States Army pin on the lapel of his brown suit . “ Michael was a dear friend , ” he said . He said he last heard from Mr . Jackson about a year ago . When he was asked how he thought Mr . Jackson should be remembered , Mr . Rooney said : ” We ’ re all human beings . We ’ ve lost a great man today . ” Downtown , the police had braced for large crowds by assigning hundreds of extra police , blocking off streets near the center and warning those without tickets to stay away , saying they would not be able to get close to the arena . In an interview on CNN early Tuesday morning , Los Angeles Police Chief William J . Bratton had predicted that the crowds gathering at the Staples Center and nearby could rival those at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics . Minutes before the memorial was to begin , the crowd outside the center was enthusiastic but orderly . Small groups of fans without tickets clustered quietly around street corners near lines of police officers . Inside the barricades , people milled around , taking pictures of one another in front of large flat - screen displays showing photographs of the singer . A man wearing a black suit and fedora reached above a small crowd to write on a large white panel near the street that was covered with messages written by fans over the past few days . Sarah Chen , 28 , and Michelle Liu , 27 , reached around a line of people to photograph the scene . “ We ’ re lucky enough to come and experience this , ” Ms . Liu said . “ I want to capture the memento to share with other people who weren ’ t so lucky . ” Ms . Chen said the two drove from Orange County yesterday to pick up tickets to the memorial that they had won in the raffle . But they missed the deadline . Still , they were able to get some leftover tickets , Ms . Chen said . “ So we ’ re here , ” she said . “ I can ’ t believe it , even though I should be at work this morning . ” Ms . Chen said she sent an e - mail message to her boss last night that she would not be at work . Lauren Bledsoe , 19 , wore a sequined glove on her right hand and took pictures of a flat screen across from the center displaying an image of Mr . Jackson in a red jacket with gold shoulder tassels standing between Ronald and Nancy Reagan . “ My mom played his music all the time , ” she said , smiling . “ It ’ s music that makes you happy , and I grew up listening . ” Ms . Bledsoe said that she had traveled to the service from Santa Clarita with her mother , and that they stayed overnight at a hotel . “ I wanted to feel the vibe and love of everyone here , ” she said . “ It ’ s a historic day . ” Vito Francone , 41 , used the box seats his accounting firm has at the Staples Center to bring his wife , Mary , 39 , and two friends , Karen Haines , 51 , and her daughter , Alex Depeyster , 19 . The group waited in line , dressed as if to attend an evening opera performance . “ We worried about the crowds , ” Mr . Francone said at about 8 a . m . “ Right now it ’ s quiet . ”