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Michael Jackson |MTV Music

MICHAEL Jackson fans have come from near and far to say last goodbyes to their pop music hero, some travelling from across the US and Europe for his public memorial in Los Angeles.

Near the service site in downtown's Staples Center on Tuesday, vendors sold Jackson memorabilia such as T-shirts, collages, buttons and bouquets of snapdragons and dahlias.

"His music will live forever. That's why I'm here today. It's like closure. I'm a person who believes in miracles, and I'm witnessing one today," said Jenee Huitt of Los Angeles, referring to her gold wristband allowing her to be among the lucky fans to attend the memorial service.

Fans drove or flew in from around the United States and as far away as England - some just to be outside the event. Some wore trademark Jackson clothing, including sequined white socks and red leather jackets echoing those the singer wore in his music videos.

The scene was reminiscent of one of Hollywood's many awards shows, which draw vendors and celebrity gawkers. Police helicopters flew overhead, and officers patrolled on foot and bicycle. The crowds were orderly.

Fans carried signs such as "Michael Jackson Lives." One turned himself into a walking music video, strapping a flat-screen TV to his back that played Jackson numbers.

Claudia Hernandez, 29, said she loved Jackson's music as a girl growing up in Mexico. Now a day-care teaching assistant in Los Angeles, Hernandez said she has cried watching TV coverage of his death.

"I'm trying to hold in my emotions," said Hernandez, wearing a wristband to allow her admittance to the service and holding a framed photograph of Jackson. "I know right now he's teaching the angels to dance."

Half a dozen protesters stood among fans, condemning Jackson over his child-molestation charges, holding signs that read, "Jacko in Hell," "You're Going to Hell" and "Mourn for Your Sins."

But Jackson's devotees far outnumbered his critics.

Melvin Price, 43, flew in from England on Saturday, even before he knew he had won a ticket to the Jackson memorial.

"I wanted to pay my last respects to Michael Jackson," said Price, dressed in a red leather jacket. "I've been a fan of his for 35 years."

Beverly J. Ellis, 46, said she drove from Holly Springs, Arkansas, just to be there even though she could not get in.

"I'm just a groupie. I'm an old groupie now," said Ellis, who held an American flag and a sign with a photocopied image of Jackson. "I'm a die-hard, true fan."

"I adore him. He's a genius," said Lorena Gonzalez, 24, a college student who came up for the service with her mother from Monterrey, Mexico.

"Michael was a legend. He had to die young because he was an idol," said her mother, Elsa Lopez de Gonzalez, 50. "He will be missed but he will live forever."