Unforgettable moments from the Michael Jackson memorial service

The Staples Center isn’t exactly the sort of venue to inspire large crowds to behave themselves (witness the rioting by some Lakers fans following the team’s NBA championship victory last month). But the nearly 11,000 people inside the arena stayed absolutely quiet for 15 minutes while Jackson family and Michael’s casket were brought onto the floor.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Pallbearers Randy, from left, Marlon, Tito, Jermaine and Jackie paid tribute to brother Michael by wearing a gold necktie, a single sequined white glove and sunglasses. Standing side by side during the memorial service, their grief was palpable.  (Mario Anzuoni / EPA)

Brooke Shields said it earlier in her tribute to Michael Jackson: Charlie Chaplin‘s “Smile” was his favorite song. Jermaine Jackson later sang the song in tribute to his little brother, at times through tears, and received a rousing ovation from the Staples Center crowd.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

It wasn’t the most well-known of Jackson’s songs, but Hudson’s heartfelt rendition of “Will You Be There,” off his 1991 album “Dangerous,” might have been the event’s most moving musical tribute. Hudson lost her mother, brother and nephew in a tragic shooting last year, and her emotionally charged performance -- in spite of the distracting dancers around her -- was as stirring as it was soulful.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Just a few weeks ago, we’d barely caught a glimpse of Jackson’s 11-year-old daughter Paris. Since her father’s death less than two weeks ago, the masks she’s worn in public all her life have come off and at his memorial service she spoke to the public for the first time.

“I just want to say, ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say that I love him so much,” she said shakily into the microphone, as her family surrounded her with support. As soon as the moment was over she fell into her aunt Janet’s arms and was escorted off stage.  (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Before his attachments to Jennifer Aniston (and Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Love Hewitt), Mayer was best known as a legit pop singer-songwriter with serious guitar skills.

Unadorned by vocals, his stripped-down version of “Human Nature,” itself a gentle if haunting ballad from “Thriller,” proved a poignant reminder of Jackson’s versatility as an artist, by turns striking and smooth.  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

The influences of Michael Jackson’s work and style directly affected many of today’s artists, and Usher represented that on stage, singing Jackson’s “Gone Too Soon” and walking over to acknowledge the casket. In sunglasses for most of the performance, he took them off to acknowledge the family at the end.  (Mario Anzuoni / EPA)

For Brooke Shields, Jackson was a kindred spirit who knew how hard it was growing up in the spotlight. The “odd couple” weathered the media storm to go out hand-in-ungloved-hand to enjoy what Shields called the “most natural and easiest of friendships.”  (Kevork Djansezian / EPA)

A Michael Jackson collaborator, Stevie Wonder gave a brief introduction to his 1971 song “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer.” and held the crowd captivated from the moment he began speaking. “I do know that God is good,” Wonder said, “and I do know that as much as we may feel – and we do – that we need Michael here with us, God must have needed him far more.”

Wonder noted that Jackson had covered the song himself, and Michael handled his version “so incredibly,” said Wonder. It was one of the more personal moments of the telecast, as Wonder let his voice crack, and drifted his piano into the heartbreaking “They Won’t Go When I Go.” The two-song medley was nearly eight minutes long, and the Staples Center crowd was still.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)