The life of Michael Joseph Jackson -- crowned as the world's King of Pop -- was eulogized in a public memorial in Los Angeles on the very stage where he rehearsed for a spectacular comeback.

In a solemn and spiritual, even uplifting, service befitting one of the most famous pop cultural icons in modern history, Jackson was celebrated as a singer, dancer, humanitarian and, perhaps most poignantly, a wonder all his own.

''Michael made us love each other,'' civil rights activist Al Sharpton said at Jackson's memorial on Tuesday.

The two-hour ceremony -- attended by 20,000 fans, celebrities and family members -- was held at the Staples Center, but the beloved yet troubled entertainer's tribute was broadcast to millions around the world, from Harlem to Paris to Hong Kong, powered by the streaming arms of the Internet.

At Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus, more than 75 students and staff members gathered to watch Jackson's memorial.

With a large poster that read ''Remembering the King of Pop'' hovering above his head, Kilroy Love fought back tears as Jackson's golden coffin, draped with a cascade of red roses, was escorted into the center by his five brothers, pallbearers each wearing a black suit and a single sequined glove.

''Watching the whole service, it really puts things into perspective,'' said Love, 21, a prelaw student from Miami. ``We just lost one of the greatest performers known to mankind. Period.''

PERSPECTIVE

Though police had expected as many as 700,000 people to descend upon the City of Angels, fans heeded pleas from officials to watch the memorial at home. Only 1,000 people gathered outside the arena, some pulling from Jackson's trademark style, wearing fedoras, white bobby socks, African headdresses, sequins or surgical masks. Media from 2,200 outlets attended. More than 3,000 Los Angeles Police Department officers, one-third of the force, were assigned to the downtown event estimated to cost up to $4 million.

''There are certain people in our popular culture that just capture people's imaginations. And in death, they become even larger,'' President Barack Obama told CBS while in Moscow. ``Now, I have to admit that it's also fed by a 24/7 media that is insatiable.''

With Jackson's family seated in the front row, the memorial struck a reverent tone, far more sedate than spectacular, a mix of performance, poetry, personal memories and a montage of powerful visual reminders of the epic Jackson journey: as the precocious kid with the million-dollar afro; as the whisper-thin solo artist; and perhaps, most memorably, as the King of Popular Culture, ever-perched on tip-toes, sometimes gloved, sometimes not.

''Obviously this is a funeral,'' said Serge Bien-Aime, a student at Miami Dade College. ``But it's only proper to send him off in style.''

MUSICAL TRIBUTES

An all-star roster of musicians performed: those inspired by Jackson, those influenced by his dazzling choreography, those who covered his songs and those who simply missed him.

Mariah Carey opened the memorial with a rendition of the Jackson 5 ballad I'll Be There with Trey Lorenz.

Jennifer Hudson sang Jackson's hit Will You Be There, and John Mayer played guitar in a delicate interpretation of Human Nature. Jermaine Jackson, who shares his younger brother's pure falsetto timbre, sang Charlie Chaplin's Smile, which he said was one of Michael Jackson's favorite standards.

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