R&B artist Usher sings at Michael Jackson's memorial (AP)

A spotlight shone on a gold-plated casket in front of the stage as fans and stars turned out by the thousands Tuesday to pay their respects to Michael Jackson. Among the celebrities in attendance were Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Rev. Al Sharpton, Mariah Carey, Brooke Shields, Usher, Lionel Richie, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, John Mayer and Martin Luther King III.

Millions of fans also around the world gathered at odd hours to watch the ceremony, which was broadcast from Tokyo to Paris and streamed everywhere online.

As in Jackson's life, Tuesday's public memorial was surrounded by spectacle — legal drama, screaming fans, star power, live worldwide broadcast, unsavory accusations, even a parade of elephants — all adding up to what could be the biggest celebrity send-off ever for the cash-strapped city of Los Angeles, California.

Do you think Jackson's memorial was too over the top?