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Japanese fans carry bouquets to place in front of a big portraint of late Michael Jackson at the foot of the Tokyo Tower, which has a time limitation event to display Michael Jackson collection, in Tokyo on June 25, 2010. (Photo courtesy: AFP)
TOKYO,
Friday 25 June 2010 (AFP) - Flowers began piling up for Michael Jackson
in Tokyo Friday for the first anniversary of the star's death, which 50
fans were due to mark by spending the night with his most treasured
possessions.
The diehard fans have paid more than 1,000 dollars each for the sleepover inside an exhibition space showcasing some of the singer's belongings, including his music awards, Rolls Royce and crystal-studded gloves.
Jackson died from a drug overdose at a rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25 last year, a seismic celebrity death that triggered a global outpouring of tributes for the eccentric genius known as "The King of Pop."
The 50 fans -- one for each year of Jackson's life -- who will take part in the sleeping bag slumber party in the Neverland Collection were chosen from some 10,000 applicants, said exhibition producer Matt Taylor.
More than half a million visitors have filed through the exhibition since it opened on May 1, and Jackson look-a-likes and Moonwalk-dancers have turned up at what has turned into a pilgrimage spot for diehard fans.
Hundreds flocked Friday afternoon to see the exhibition of some 300 of Jackson's possessions, many placing white roses and yellow sunflowers before a large portrait of the smiling megastar.
"I felt like I could sense his breathing in there. I felt like I could smell him," said Keiko Fujiwara, 51, as she emerged from the dimly-lit space with her son, filled with emotion after her second visit.
"I'll come again," she said, adding that she planned to hold a candlelit vigil at home to commemorate Jackson's death.
"I may not be able to stop myself from crying," said Fujiwara, wearing a Jackson-style hat and green "King of Pop" T-shirt.
"He liked Japan a lot. There would have been a Japan tour if his London tour had come true. How wonderful it would have been."
Another fan, Ying Youming, 44, said she would pay thousands of dollars if she could go to a Jackson concert now, noting that the first CD she bought after she moved to Japan from China 15 years ago was a Jackson album.
"His talent can't be measured in money," she said.
Yukari Kozakura, 46, said she was shattered by the pop icon's death.
"I was so shocked that I was crying for the first three months," she said, adding that her two teenage children only became fans of Jackson after he died.
"I played his DVDs in tears every day, asking 'Why is he dead, dead...?"
The diehard fans have paid more than 1,000 dollars each for the sleepover inside an exhibition space showcasing some of the singer's belongings, including his music awards, Rolls Royce and crystal-studded gloves.
Jackson died from a drug overdose at a rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25 last year, a seismic celebrity death that triggered a global outpouring of tributes for the eccentric genius known as "The King of Pop."
The 50 fans -- one for each year of Jackson's life -- who will take part in the sleeping bag slumber party in the Neverland Collection were chosen from some 10,000 applicants, said exhibition producer Matt Taylor.
More than half a million visitors have filed through the exhibition since it opened on May 1, and Jackson look-a-likes and Moonwalk-dancers have turned up at what has turned into a pilgrimage spot for diehard fans.
Hundreds flocked Friday afternoon to see the exhibition of some 300 of Jackson's possessions, many placing white roses and yellow sunflowers before a large portrait of the smiling megastar.
"I felt like I could sense his breathing in there. I felt like I could smell him," said Keiko Fujiwara, 51, as she emerged from the dimly-lit space with her son, filled with emotion after her second visit.
"I'll come again," she said, adding that she planned to hold a candlelit vigil at home to commemorate Jackson's death.
"I may not be able to stop myself from crying," said Fujiwara, wearing a Jackson-style hat and green "King of Pop" T-shirt.
"He liked Japan a lot. There would have been a Japan tour if his London tour had come true. How wonderful it would have been."
Another fan, Ying Youming, 44, said she would pay thousands of dollars if she could go to a Jackson concert now, noting that the first CD she bought after she moved to Japan from China 15 years ago was a Jackson album.
"His talent can't be measured in money," she said.
Yukari Kozakura, 46, said she was shattered by the pop icon's death.
"I was so shocked that I was crying for the first three months," she said, adding that her two teenage children only became fans of Jackson after he died.
"I played his DVDs in tears every day, asking 'Why is he dead, dead...?"