The crowd lined the streets and sang Jackson tunes, danced, held up signs, letters and posters and observed a moment of silence at 5:26 p.m., the moment East Coast fans heard the news of Jackson's death.
Director Spike Lee delivered a few words about Jackson's legacy, and the Reverend Al Sharpton delivered a stirring speech praising Jackson's career and his incredible influence on the African-American people and the world, saying that he crossed the lines of color and culture, making "young men and women all over the world imitate us."
"Before Michael, we were limited and ghettoized," said Sharpton. "But Michael put on a colorful military outfit, he pulled his pants up, he put on the one glove, and he smashed the barriers of segregated music."
"Michael was a genius," he continued. "Michael was an innovator. You can't take someone with extraordinary skills, extraordinary talent, and make him an ordinary person. He was extraordinary. He lived extraordinarily, and we love him with an extraordinary passion."
Back in 1967, the Jackson Five (featuring a nine-year-old Michael) won an amateur night contest at the Apollo, helping to launch the group, and subsequently Jackson's phenomenal solo career. Jackson returned to the Apollo in 2002 for a Democratic National Committee fundraiser, invited by former President Bill Clinton.
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