Jackson funeral attendee: Gladys Knight moves mourners to tears; mother weary, overcome

Gladys Knight moves Jackson mourners to tears

GLENDALE, Calif. — A person who attended Michael Jackson’s funeral says it was a simple and tasteful affair, and the singer’s mother was overcome with grief.

Katherine Jackson appeared extremely weary and had to be helped to her car afterward, said the person, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the day.

As Jackson’s brothers carried his golden casket from an outdoor seating area into the mausoleum, Mrs. Jackson had to turn back.

It wasn’t clear whether she went inside the great marble building at Forest Lawn Glendale, where Gladys Knight’s singing of the “Our Father” hymn moved many to tears, the person said.

Jackson’s golden coffin, draped in flowers and with a crown perched on top, had not been put into the vault by the time mourners left.