Fans around the globe honour the king of pop

A year after Michael Jackson's death caused a worldwide outpouring of shock, tears and tributes, the anniversary of his passing was marked yesterday on a quieter scale, as fans remembered their fallen King of Pop with vigils, prayer and, of course, music.

Some radio stations woke up listeners to Jackson's music; on US television, all the major networks devoted a portion of their morning news programmes to Jackson. Events were planned across the globe, from Tokyo to
New York.

At the cemetery
On Thursday night, Julia Thomas (40) clutched her Thriller liner notes and stood outside the Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California, Jackson's final resting place, with about two dozen fans. "Michael has just always been a part of my life," said Thomas, who has a tattoo of Jackson's dancing feet on her left wrist.

Evdokia Sofianou (46), and her nine-year-old daughter Rebecca travelled from Athens, Greece, to pay respects. "I came because I love Michael very much," she said on Thursday night.

Sleepover in Tokyo
In Japan yesterday, hundreds of fans met at Tokyo Tower to honour Jackson with a candlelight vigil. Some got a chance to see a collection of his possessions, including costumes from his tours and even a 1967 Rolls-Royce Phantom he used to drive around Los Angeles. About 50 guests paid Rs 50,810 each to sleep overnight at the Tokyo landmark, where they looked at Jackson memorabilia and danced to his music before observing a period of silence as the sun rose.

Prisoners in the Philippines are marking the occasion by staging a version of Thriller for the public. The inmates of Cebu jail became an internet phenomenon when they were filmed performing the dance in 2007.