THIS evening (July 7, 2009), the producers, cast and creative team of Thriller – Live will mark the funeral and memorial service for Michael Jackson with their own stage tribute.

At 7.30pm, the lights outside the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End and Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre, where the production is on tour, will be dimmed.

And at both venues, the entire cast and band will meet on stage to pay tribute to Michael Jackson with speeches. The audience will then be invited to stand and join the company and theatre staff in holding a minute’s silence throughout the auditorium.

The funeral for family and celebrity friends takes place today in Los Angeles although it’s still unclear where the 50-year-old singer will be laid to rest.

The funeral will be followed by a memorial service at the Staples Center, attended by 17,500 fans who have reportedly acquired free tickets in an online ballot. Many more fans are converging on Los Angeles simply to pay their respects and be part of history.

Thriller – Live was created to celebrate the career of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 and features the hits I Want You Back, I’ll Be There, Show You the Way to Go, Can You Feel It, Rock with You, She’s Out of My Life, Thriller, Beat It, Ben, ABC, Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana, Billie Jean, Earth Song and many more.

Thriller – Live was conceived and created by Executive Director Adrian Grant, a long time associate of Michael Jackson and author of Michael Jackson – The Visual Documentary.

Read our Michael Jackson obituary

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