Michael Jackson’s father watched on as an array of stars honoured his late son at a glitzy awards show in Los Angeles last night.
Joe Jackson sat in the front row of LA’s Shrine Auditorium as a succession of singers and actors paid tribute to the King of Pop during the Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards.
Singer Beyonce sang a moving version of Ave Maria in his honour, while other celebrities spoke of the impact that Jackson had on their career.
The BET Awards ceremony was always due to take place today. But after the announcement of Jackson’s death on Thursday, it was decided that the event would be turned into a celebration of his life and music.
“When we heard that he had passed, we knew we had to revamp this year’s show and make it special for him,” BET’s chief executive Debra Lee said.
Host Jamie Foxx got the show off to a fitting start.
With a Jackson 5 medley pumping through the auditorium, the actor moonwalked on stage wearing a Jacksonesque red jacket and white glove.
Addressing the celebrity guests, Foxx said: “No need to be sad. We want to celebrate this black man. We gonna go through all of Michael Jackson.”
In between musical tributes, guests were invited to share their memories and thoughts of Jackson.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs said the singer “knocked down barriers” for black artists like himself. “Love you Mike,” he added.
Arriving at the show, Joe Jackson explained that he was attending in honour of his son.
“Right now he is bigger than ever. I wish he was here to see all this, to hear all this,” he told a CNN interviewer on the red carpet.
PA