NEW YORK – He was widely traveled, but he cited his time in Chicago as crucial to his later success. He entered into contests with a large number of men but emerged as the last man standing. He was a trailblazer who rose to the height of his profession.  

Yes, it turns out Jack Johnson and President Barack Obama have more than just skin tone in common.  

Both houses of Congress have now approved a resolution Wednesday urging a presidential pardon for Johnson, who became the first black heavyweight champion in 1908 a century before Obama's election as the nation's first black president. 
 

Getty Images file

American boxer Jack Johnson, the world heavyweight champion, in a boxing stance, during the early 1910s.Â

Johnson, publicly defiant of the Jim Crow-era laws that ruled the day, was the first person prosecuted under the Mann Act, which banned the transportation of females across state lines "for immoral purposes."  The official offense cited was for consorting and traveling with a white prostitute whom he later married. Unofficially, it was his destruction of Jim Jeffries, the white American titleholder whom Johnson met in the ring in 1910.

That match, held in Reno, Nev., and dubbed "the Battle of The Century" (at a time when that title was not yet trite), resulted in deadly riots and cast Johnson as the villain in the eyes of the white establishment.  

The Los Angeles Times wrote after the fight:  "A word to the Black Man. … Do not point your nose too high. Do not swell your chest too much. Do not boast too loudly.  Do not be puffed up. … You are on no higher plane, deserve no new consideration, and will get none. …  No man will think a bit higher of you because your complexion is the same as that of the victor at Reno." 

Johnson was convicted in 1913 and sentenced to a year and a day in jail, the maximum penalty allowable. He fled and was a fugitive in Europe and Mexico for seven years.  He eventually surrendered and served 10 months at Leavenworth, Kan. 

A long fight back
Attempts to resurrect his boxing career after his release largely failed – it didn't help that the champion at the time, Jack Dempsey, refused to fight him, even though Johnson was 43 by then. He died in a car crash in 1946 at the age of 68. (It would be more than two decades later before the U.S. Supreme Court essentially legalized interracial marriage, in 1967, with its ruling in  Loving v. Virginia.)   

Still, the effort to clear Johnson's name gained considerable momentum with the 2005 release of the Ken Burns documentary "Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson."  (Burns also formed a committee dedicated to Jackson's pardon, which petitioned the Justice Department in 2004. That petition was never acted on.) 

And Vernon Forrest, the former boxing champion killed in July by a gunman attempting to steal his car, also championed Johnson's cause.* Then, in April, Sen. (and boxing aficionado) John McCain, R-Ariz., along with Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., introduced the proposal in  Congress. 

In his own effort to clear his name, Johnson wrote in his autobiography that he was determined to "act as if prejudice does not exist." While that noble stance may have better fit Johnson's times, it is not one our president seems to embrace today. Obama has made clear the importance of an ongoing discourse on race in our country.   

'A more perfect union'
The congressional resolution says Johnson's pardon would "expunge a racially motivated abuse of the prosecutorial authority of the federal government from the annals of criminal justice in the United States."      

Obama's ascension to the nation's highest office could have been derailed by the firestorm over some incendiary comments from his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Instead, he seized the moment and, standing at Constitution Center in Philadelphia, delivered what history will surely judge as one of the seminal speeches on race in America.

In it, he said, "The path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people, that the legacy of discrimination … [is] real and must be addressed."    

The president, having just recently defused another controversy over race – one he largely helped fuel – may be loath to go near anything with a racial theme for a while. 

His role in the debate over the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. became a major distraction for the White House but one that, however awkwardly, fit the president's criteria for making race an ongoing conversation. As he said in Philadelphia, "Race is an issue that this country cannot afford to ignore right now."   

The White House has so far had no comment on the Johnson resolution. And the resolution passed by Congress does not require any presidential action.

Although presidential pardons are rarely granted – and even fewer are granted posthumously – those still trumpeting Johnson's cause now appear to have momentum on their side. 

*Correction: Vernon Forrest was misidentified as "Vernon Jackson." The text has been corrected above.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. –The most intriguing moment in the confrontation between Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley was when Crowley came to understand that the man in the house was in fact who he said he was, that he was in his own home and that there had not been a break-in. What did Gates say or do, or not say or do, that pushed Crowley to charge him with disorderly conduct?

Police have said Gates was causing a public nuisance. Gates defenders insist that at that point, the officer should have turned his back and walked away.

Of course, only the two men will ever know all the facts, including the thoughts running through their heads.

VIDEO: 'Agree to disagree' at beer chat

It's interesting that when respondents were asked in our recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll who they felt was most at fault in the incident, 27 percent said Gates was at fault, 11 percent said the police officer was at fault, 29 percent of respondents blamed them equally and 31 percent said they did not have enough information to form an opinion. (Question #35 in the poll.)

Personally, I have wrestled with these issues almost round the clock since July 16, when I started covering the story. And last night as I walked around Harvard Square, I was hoping that perhaps the spirit of one of the great university's best thinkers might help me resolve some of my lingering questions. There have been lengthy discussions with producers and editors about what our stories should say, or not say. We all knew we were dealing with very sensitive stuff.

There are a few people who said things that stood out for me as I tried to explain the story, what it all means and what should perhaps be learned.

'Follow the golden rule'
Orlando Patterson has been a professor of sociology at Harvard for several decades. He is also African-American and is close to Gates. Interestingly he said that when he is out in public doing ordinary things and he is asked about his profession, most of the time he answers by saying he's a teacher. Just a teacher. Not a Harvard professor. 

Why? Because he thinks a lot of working-class whites aren't used to dealing with middle class and more accomplished African-Americans.

At a time when there are anti-discrimination laws and numerous people of color have achieved professional success, Patterson insists it's "the slights," and perhaps even more so, the "perceived slights," that explain most of the racial tension between blacks and whites.

It's the cop who is rude. Or it's the store clerk who seems to be not very enthusiastic about helping you. And at a different level, it's not getting the promotion or the office you think you deserve. And of course, it's getting pulled over while driving a nice looking car.

Patterson's best guidance: "Follow the golden rule," he said. Treat people from other ethnic groups as you treat people of your own group. Sounds easy, but of course it's not. He also said that many African-Americans should learn to be "less sensitive."

Right next door lives his neighbor Priscilla McMillian, an activist and historian, who has lived in Cambridge most of her life. We were talking about the fact that Cambridge has an African-American female mayor. The state has one of nation's few black governors – Gov. Deval Patrick. And of course, we now have a black president.

Still, McMillian, who is white, said there's a big difference between accepting people of other races as public figures and accepting them in their personal life.  She was trying to debunk the idea that America has become "post racial."

In liberal Cambridge, she says there's still not a lot of mixing. McMillian's suggestion is that people spend more time outside of their comfort zone. "Because then," she said, "you see people as individuals and not as stereotypes."

The language of the Gates-Crowley dispute has been especially sensitive, especially the term "racial profiling." As a matter of fact, I recently got an email from a frustrated viewer who asked why we so often say the issue is about "race" when it's about "racism" or "discrimination" or words that are uglier and not as neutral as "race."  He was trying to make the point that people would understand the issue better if we really said what it is. 

In this case, the term "racial profiling," was used again and again. But as the situation escalated, this dispute wasn't so much about "profiling," as it was about behaviors that were perhaps racially insensitive. It seems when we do these stories, a central question becomes whether this person or that person is a "racist."

And of course, once that label gets thrown out there, the rest of the conversation quickly deteriorates. As someone pointed out to me, it is possible for good, non-racist people, to still do things at certain times that someone might find offensive, or worse.

Finally, the person who made a very strong impression was Lucia Whalen, who became known as "the 911 caller." 

I could really feel her pain, as she stood on a grassy hillside in a public park the other day, trying to, as she put it, get her "integrity and her reputation" back.   

Her voice trembled. Her hands shook. But she stood her ground. She had been accused of igniting the Gates-Crowley inferno by telling police she thought she saw "two black men with backpacks" breaking into the Gates home.

Those are words in a police report that Whalen insists she never said. And words that were not heard on the audio release of her call into 911. The police have never addressed the discrepancy. A local paper quoted an official who said the department "stands by" the report.

What was striking about Whalen was how visibly wounded she had been by this entire ordeal. She'd been threatened. Media harassed her. She was the villain in hiding until the police 911 tapes backed her version of events.

She had tried to be "careful and honest" with her words, as she put it. But those words got twisted and blown out of proportion. That, I guess is what racial tension can do.

Few weeks on a long road 
At the end of the day, I'm still not sure what to make of all of this. Crowley and Gates probably privately regret a number of decisions they made.

Maybe they will share those thoughts with President Barack Obama, when they meet over perhaps the most anticipated glass of beer in this nation's recent history. (Then again, perhaps they'll drink straight out of the can or bottle. No detail has been too trivial regarding the "Beer Summit.")

The nation had a "dialogue" about race relations as the drama played out over the past couple of weeks. We probably all better get used to it, and better at it.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – While growing up here many years ago, my brother, Alan, and I idolized Paul Rosasco, the World War II veteran who lived on the corner of our street. With rapt attention, we'd thrill to hear his stories of danger and high adventure in the South Pacific and would pester him to tell us more.

Now that Alan and I are much older, we understand that those stories back then were softened for young ears and actually came from tough memories of a brutal war.  We've since heard the unvarnished version and have learned more about the injuries our neighbor suffered and about all the friends he lost. For that reason, and because of the life he lived in recent years, we actually came to admire him even more. 

Courtesy of the Rosasco family

Paul Rosasco as a young soldier during World War II.

We are deeply saddened to learn that our friend and hero has just died at age 85. Now his remarkable story, which he was reluctant to draw attention to publicly while he was alive, can be shared with the blessing of his widow.

Enlisted for war
In November 1942, Paul Rosasco enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 19 and received his basic training in Florida. After advanced training in Illinois he then joined the 1896th Engineer Aviation Battalion in Virginia. 

Near the small town of Elko, he and other trainees actually built a fake airport, complete with a runway, landing lights and empty buildings. It was a decoy to distract German bombers from the nearby Richmond Airfield should they cross the U.S. coastline. Luckily, the Nazi aviators never came calling.

After finishing up in Virginia, Rosasco headed by train for California. There he began a nearly-month-long voyage to New Guinea on a military transport ship with 3,500 men crammed aboard.  After arriving in, Lae, New Guinea, he helped build airfields and housing for American forces fighting the Japanese.  His second stop was Biak, where his company followed the infantry ashore during a bloody fight to wrest the island from Japanese control.  As the Army engineers there built roads and a landing strip for U.S. bombers, Rosasco helped fend off attacks from hold-out Japanese soldiers.

Rosasco's next mission was the one that nearly took his life. 

On New Year's Day, 1945, his company joined an 80-ship convoy headed for the Philippines. Twelve days into the trip, near Corregidor, the convoy was attacked by 26 Japanese kamikazes. Rosasco's transport ship, the Kyle Johnson, was struck and badly damaged by one of the planes. Of the 220 men in his company, 161 were killed in the attack.

When the plane hit the ship, it punched a huge hole in the starboard side and tore a second hole through an inside deck.  Gasoline stored below for heavy engineering equipment then exploded in a massive fire.  At the moment the plane crashed through the hull, Rosasco was below deck in a four-foot-wide pathway.  Although knocked down, wounded by shrapnel and burned on his face and arms, he was able to escape the inferno by jumping into the water through the jagged hole made by the kamikaze.

Of the 15 men who ended up in the ocean, only nine survived. 

Suffering from a compound fracture on his right arm, he was able to stay afloat by hooking the exposed bone from his injured arm around a cable on a buoyant hatch cover.  With his other arm, he held on tight to his best friend, Gus Miggans – unaware that Miggans was already dead.

Mark Potter / NBC News

Paul Rosasco, enjoying retirement, in a photo taken in 2008.

Others urged him to let Miggans go, but Rosasco refused, shouting back, "Nah, he's not dead, he's sleeping." He kept assuring his friend, "You're gonna be OK, you're gonna be alright."

Another close call
While struggling in the water, Rosasco and the others there faced another threat. Japanese pilots were strafing the seas with machine-gun fire, trying to kill the helpless survivors. "I was saying those Hail Marys at 50 miles an hour," he said.

One of the planes swooped over him, then circled back, heading straight in his direction.  As the Japanese plane bore down and was getting close, it suddenly exploded.  The pilot of a U.S. Hellcat fighter plane had come from above to shoot the Japanese Zero out of the sky. 

After completing his attack, the American pilot flew low over the men in the ocean, tipped his wing and raised his hand.  "He saluted us in the water," said Rosasco. (Decades later Rosasco met that pilot and thanked him personally.)

About an hour into the ordeal which he said, "felt like forever," Rosasco was finally rescued by the crew of a U.S. destroyer escort ship, while still holding tight to Miggans. It was then that he had to confront what others already knew, that his closest buddy had not survived the attack. Miggans was buried at sea.

In the months that followed, Rosasco and the other injured soldiers were treated for their burns and wounds aboard ships and at a hospital in New Guinea.  When the war ended, he went to Tokyo, where shortly afterward he got word that he would be transferred home.  He arrived back in Ann Arbor on Dec. 15, 1945, just in time for Christmas.  Before leaving the Army, Rosasco was promoted to the rank of platoon sergeant.  With so few survivors in his company, he grimly joked, "there was nobody else to give it to."

Mark Potter / NBC News

Paul Rosasco, enjoying retirement, in a photo taken in 2008.

Back in civilian life, Rosasco married, raised two daughters with his wife, Maxine, and worked as a golf course manager, a quality control specialist for an auto company, a milk delivery man and a business office-manager for the University of Michigan hospital. 

In 1985, he retired and took on another important role as the unofficial – but much appreciated –neighborhood watchman, keeping an eye on the homes of vacationing residents, bringing in the mail, giving people rides and volunteering to help anyone in need. He had the keys to most of the neighborhood homes and was the emergency contact person for my mother, whose rose bushes he also kept in shape.  Whenever I came home, he and Maxine were always very welcoming.  If my brother and I would prod him, he always had more stories to tell.

During one of my latest visits, I asked him how he felt when he returned home in 1945. "The war was over, it was wonderful," he said.  Feeling grateful to have survived he added, "I was luckier than hell." 

In recent years, though, with the few remaining veterans from his battalion passing on and the annual reunions no longer being held, he had more solemn thoughts about the young men who perished in that far-off war 64 years ago. "I throw out a name, I see a face," he told me.  He also wondered about how many people still cared about their sacrifices.

Particularly strong for him was the memory of his friend who died in the water near the Philippines. With a quiet pride few can ever earn, he said recently, "I hung on to Miggans." 

We are so very proud to have had Paul Rosasco as our neighbor, friend and hero.

 LOS ANGELES – Day 1, 7 hours, and 14 minutes. That's how long it took for me to realize this story was going to be different than any other I've covered.

High-profile deaths are always tricky. But, the story of Michael Jackson's death and the ensuing legal, financial and custody matters are different. 

Between TMZ, the British tabloids, and what feels like 32 million blogs writing about his death and its aftermath, information continues to pour in by the second, 24-hours a day.

SLIDESHOW: Michael Jackson: 1958-2009

You don't even want to see my blackberry when I wake up from my overnight nap. Yes, a nap. I sleep about three hours a night because doing live shots for the Today Show at 7 a.m. EST means an early wake-up call in California. And when I say "early," I mean 2:30 a.m. Pacific time. And there they are: 23 emails with all the latest information about the ongoing Jackson story on all the blogs.

Our job is to sift through the "tips," "leads," "exclusives," "sources," all of it. What's real? What's sorta real, but exaggerated? What's flat out false? We make quick decisions on what to report, but those decisions are critical.

I started referring to this story as the "Money Trap" because there are certain organizations that pay for information. NBC News does NOT pay for information or interviews.

But unverified "stories" continue to break on the web.

This doesn't mean the information is wrong. It just means our producers and I have to be extra vigilant about checking our sources.

We have to ask ourselves:

1) What's the source?

2) Was the source telling the website what they want to hear because they're being paid?

3) Is the information consistent with our own reporting, what we're hearing?

Oh, and this is fascinating. Do you know that out here in LA, lawyers have their own public relations people? The spokespeople...have spokespeople! What a town! 

I'm a New Yorker. Plain-spoken. Direct. Blunt. So, that's new for me. Fuhgetaboutit.

Here's the bottom line: the NBC News producers out here in LA are great. And they're helping a New York boy navigate the celebrity-world of self-importance, cash and pseudo-power. With four hours of sleep a day and countless Starbucks grande iced coffees later, we're ready to go!

Despite a violent drug war being waged in Mexico, U.S. officials say the dramatic drop in the number of Mexicans entering the United States illegally shows the economic downturn and increased enforcement are having major effects. NBC's Mark Potter reports from the U.S-Mexico border.

VIDEO: Fewer illegal immigrants crossing the U.S. border

 

 NEW YORK – Looking around during Paul McCartney's final show at the Mets' Citi Field – and at all of the women alternately screaming his name/wedding proposals, a question occurred to me: "I wonder if this ever gets old for him?"

If it does, Sir Paul is not letting on. In fact, at 67, he is exhibiting few signs of slowing down. He played a raucous two hours with no breaks, sprinkling in a few new songs to go along with healthy doses of Beatles classics and hits from his "Wings" headlining days.

Frank Franklin II / AP

Musician Sir Paul McCartney performs at Citi Field on July 17 in New York.

His only concession to age was a tinge of nostalgia. He choked up during "Here Today," his melancholy ode to John Lennon, but managed through it. He sang George Harrison's "Something" in memory of his old band-mate. And "My Love" was dedicated to his late wife, Linda – a New Yorker like most of the crowd. (Ex-wife Heather Mills did not warrant a dedication.)

He also reminisced about the Beatles first time playing in a Mets ballpark – their historic appearance at Shea stadium on August 15th, 1965. McCartney playfully complained that during that concert they couldn't hear a thing due to the girls screaming.

It should be noted that that concert lasted just 35 minutes – fairly standard for the time – but still a long time to scream continuously. And in a neat twist, McCartney's set list at Citi Field included the last song played at Shea Stadium that day – "I'm Down."

'Saw a Beatle perform. Check.'
For all of his accomplishments as a writer – this is the man, after all, who wrote "Yesterday," and "Let it Be" (both of which he performed at Citi Field) among many, many others – you almost forget what an accomplished musician he is. He moved effortlessly from bass guitar, rhythm guitar and piano. For good measure, he broke out the ukulele, a gift from Harrison.

He ripped off a searing version of Jimmy Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" guitar solo, and noted that Hendrix had once paid the Beatles the ultimate tribute: Two days after their seminal album, "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," was released in 1967, McCartney went to see Hendrix perform in London. Hendrix had already learned to play – and opened the show with, the title track.

The crowd spanned at least three generations. Some were Beatles/McCartney die-hards who were already talking about their plans to catch some of his other upcoming shows in the U.S. tour. Others, like one middle-aged man who had flown in from Chicago, were crossing a to-do off their "bucket" list. "Saw a Beatle perform. Check."

As for those marriage proposals, Sir Paul did take the time to acknowledge one of them, and had a succinct response. "No."

It was about the only disappointment of the evening.

HAILEY, Idaho – A young mother with three small children and a bunch of American flags pulled up to Zaney's River Street Coffee House where Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl used to work before he joined the Army.  

They began planting the flags in the ground and in nearby flower pots. 

Elsewhere around Hailey, people have tied yellow ribbons around trees and put up signs saying "Bring Bowe Back." The print shop that made the signs reportedly ran out of them and local stores are running low on supplies of yellow ribbons.

VIDEO: Hometwon support for U.S. soldier held by the Taliban

It's all part of what Bergdahl's family calls the "overwhelming" show of public support for the 23-year-old who was taken captive by the Taliban in Afghanistan on June 30. 

When the Pentagon first reported that an American soldier had been captured without naming him, many here in Hailey suspected it might be Bergdahl. People in town had kept in touch with him via e-mail, but their messages went unanswered after June 30.  At the request of Bergdahl's family, they kept quiet about it, not wanting to compromise any efforts to rescue him.

"It's tight-knit," Hailey Mayor Rick Davis said of this community in an interview with NBC News. "And when somebody asks you not to say something that's what's going to happen."

VIDEO: Sheriff says town is 'upbeat' about captured GI

But with the release of the chilling Taliban propaganda video showing Bergdahl in captivity, identified publicly for the first time, the community's silence ended and the yellow ribbons began to appear around this city of 7,000 about a dozen miles south of Sun Valley.

Lee Ann Ferris, who lives next door to Bergdahl's parents, said her church had organized a prayer circle to pray for his safe return. "We're thinking positively," she said, "believing that he'll come back home." Still, she conceded it's frustrating, not being able to do much more than waiting, hoping and praying.

And there are a whole lot of hopes and prayers for the safe return of Bowe Bergdahl being voiced by the people of Hailey right now.

NEW YORK – Ten years ago I was visiting my family in Boston when the phone rang just before dawn on a Saturday morning. The call was from the NBC News assignment desk.

The person on the other end apologized for the early call on a summer weekend morning but explained there was a report that John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane was missing and might have crashed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.

I remember being asked, if need be, could I drive to Cape Cod to the Kennedy family home in Hyannis Port?

As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes my first response was, "Of course I can." 

VIDEO: Newly released photos of JFK Jr. in People magazine

But I also thought this can't be happening. This is a terrible mistake – some kind of a mix up. How could Kennedy's plane just go missing? He can't be dead.  He's too young, too handsome and too famous.

Of course, none of those things makes anyone immune to the tragic realities of life.  And goodness knows, those qualities have not shielded the Kennedy family. Still, I wanted to dismiss the prospect of horrible news and hope for the best.

The person on the assignment desk was just as incredulous about the veracity of the initial report.  For several agonizing hours there was no firm confirmation that a tragic accident had occurred. But news crews were getting ready.

We had been told that Kennedy, his wife Carolyn Bessette, and sister- in- law Lauren Bessette had taken off from a New York City area airport on the night of July 16, 1999, en route to Martha's Vineyard. Questions were raised about whether they actually took off and if they had been in contact with people on the Vineyard.

A frenzy of activity began to sort out the truth. Calls were made to the Kennedy home in New York and to his relatives and friends. The news desk called the FAA, local authorities, even the Coast Guard was called to find out what, if any, search operation was under way.

Absent definite answers one thing was clear: I needed to get to Hyannis Port. Soon after I arrived that Saturday morning I knew I'd be there for several days. 

I found myself in the midst of a massive crowd of local reporters and national correspondents, producers and cameramen. TV satellite trucks quickly became a part of the pristine beachfront landscape.

VIDEO: July 22, 1999: Bodies recovered from Kennedy crash, Rehema Ellis reports

I remember reporting on how local Hyannis Port residents were reacting to the news that Kennedy's plane was missing.             

They had a hard time accepting the horrible truth, and they weren't alone. 

Some residents wanted to believe that somehow Kennedy, his wife and sister-in-law survived.  I even wondered whether Kennedy could have flown off course and made his way to an uncharted island in the Caribbean. Admittedly a crazy thought I never included in my reports back then.  But I write about it now just to point out that even for correspondents like me who often have to report on difficult stories, painful news is hard to accept until there's proof. 

Ultimately, of course, proof came.

Interactive: Kennedy Family Tree

Mourning another tragedy
In the heart wrenching days that followed parts of the plane were recovered along with remains of those on board.

In Hyannis, residents who had lived with the Kennedys as neighbors for decades kept a respectful distance.  But when I returned to New York City I reported on how people went to the Kennedy apartment building, as well as churches, and left flowers, candles and cards.

I remember thinking that once again here was a Kennedy who would never grow old and it was extraordinary that all across the country people stopped and grieved for him just like they did for his father.

5:47 p.m. ET - LAPD tells NBC News that as of 11:25a PT, the downtown command post counted between 17,000 and 18,000 attendees inside the Staples Center.

This suggests that despite thousands of unclaimed tickets at Dodger Stadium yesterday, the Staples Center was filled as planned.  Event organizers previously stated they would move people from the Nokia Theater if empty seats an issue. NBC can't confirm whether or not this actually happened.

5:10 p.m. ET - Jeff Rossen spoke with fans outside the Staples Center shortly after the memorial ended. Many seemed pleased with the tone of the memorial. Watch video here.

4:40 p.m. ET -- Plans for Jackson's body remain unclear. Many had anticipated that the singer's remains would be interred at Forest Lawn cemetery, the final resting place for many stars. But when police instructed members of the media gathered at the cemetery's gates to disperse midway through the memorial ceremony, they said his body would not be returned there. They did not say where it would be taken. Jackson's brother, Jermaine, has expressed a desire to have him buried someday at Jackson's Neverland estate in Santa Barbara County.

3:47 p.m. ET -- The Rev. Lucious Smith delivers a closing prayer. "The King of Pop must bend his knee to the King of Kings," he says.

3:42 p.m. ET -- The service ends. Pallbearers wheel the casket out of the center as individuals call out, "I love you, Michael!"

3:40 p.m. ET -- Jackson's daughter, Paris, addresses the crowd: "Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father I can imagine," she says before dissolving in tears. "I just wanted to say I love him so much." 

3:39 p.m. ET -- Marlon Jackson recalls Michael Jackson's difficult childhood, recalling him being ridiculed for being different. "Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone," he says.

3:36 p.m. ET -- "I hurt," adds brother Marlon Jackson.

3:35 p.m. ET -- As friends and family embrace behind him, Jermaine Jackson takes the mike and thanks everyone for attending.  

3:34 p.m. ET -- Crowd on its feet as the song ends.

3:29 p.m. ET -- Now its the kids' turn, including Jackson's three children, as they join the adults to sing "Heal The World."

3:28 p.m. ET -- Family and dozens of the performers from the service are on the stage. Big applause as they finish up "We Are The World."

3:25 p.m. ET -- Group ensemble sings "We Are The World."

3:23 p.m. ET -- Kenny Ortega, Jackson's choreographer for Jackson's London tour, addresses the crowd.

3:22 p.m. ET -- Jafargholi thanks Jackson for "blessing me and every other person on earth."

3:19 p.m. ET -- Shaheen Jafargholi, a finalist from "Britain's Got Talent," sings "Who's Loving You?"

3:18 p.m. ET -- Robinson says Jackson will live forever in heaven and on earth, saying his musical legacy will never be forgotten.

3:15 p.m. ET -- Robinson says young Jackson was able to communicate musically far beyond his years: " I did not believe that someone that young could have that much feeling and soul and 'know.'"

3:13 p.m. ET -- Smokey Robinson, who wrote the song, returns to stage and recalls his first meeting with the Jacksons.

3:12 p.m. ET -- Video clip shows the Jackson 5 singing "Who's Loving You?" in an early appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

3:11 p.m. ET -- An emotional Usher removes dark glasses as he concludes, shares a group hug with the Jacksons.

3:08 p.m. ET -- Usher takes the stage to sing Jackson's "Gone Too Soon."

3:06 p.m. ET -- Rep. Jackson Lee recalls Michael Jackson visit to Walter Reed military hospital to visit  wounded soldiers and speaks of his philanthropy: "Michael never stopped giving."

3:01 p.m. ET -- Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas addresses the crowd. She refers to accusations of child abuse against Jackson in reminding the crowd that the U.S. Constitution guarantees that a person is considered "innocent until proven guilty."

2:59 p.m. ET -- Bernice King calls Jackson "a thoughtful and selfless man full of unconditional love."

2:57 p.m. ET -- Martin Luther King III tells a parable of a street-sweeper who became the best street-sweeper ever to illustrate Jackson's devotion to being "a great entertainer who did his job well."

2:53 p.m. ET -- Martin Luther King III and Bernice A. King, children of Martin Luther King Jr., take the stage.

2:52 p.m. ET -- Jermaine Jackson returns to the family seating area in front of the stage.

2:48 p.m. ET -- Jermaine Jackson sings "Smile," the theme music for Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film, "Modern Times." Michael Jackson also recorded the song.

2:47 p.m. ET -- Shields reads from "The Little Prince." She concludes by quoting from the song "Smile" and reminding the crowd that "we need to smile."

2:45 p.m. ET -- Fighting back tears, Shields continues: "To the people who were lucky enough to know him personally, he was caring, funny, honest, pure, nonjaded and he was a lover of life. He cared so deeply for his family, his friends and his fans."

2:43 p.m. ET -- Shields says Jackson tried unsuccessfully to teach her the moonwalk. She recalls that "Michael loved to laugh" and that his laugh was "the sweetest and purest of anyone that I have ever known."

2:40 p.m. ET -- Actress Brooke Shields says she "had the most natural and easiest of friendships" with Jackson.

2:39 p.m. ET -- Mayer embraces Jackson's after he leaves the stage.

2:36 p.m. ET -- Choir chimes in with the refrain: "Why? Why? Tell them that it's human nature."

2:33 p.m. ET -- Crowd claps in accompaniment as John Mayer plays "Human Nature."

2:32 p.m. ET -- Sharpton concludes heartfelt appreciation of Jackson. "Thank you, Michael! Thank you, Michael! Thank you, Michael."

2:31 p.m. ET -- As the service continues, Forest Lawn issues a press release saying that Jackson's body "is not coming back here" and instructing the media to "vacate ASAP."

2:29 p.m. ET -- Sharpton continues to praise Jackson as instumental in breaking down racial barriers: "He created a comfort level where people who felt they were separate became interconnected with his music. ... Michael made us love each other. Michael taught us to stand with each other."

2:27 p.m. ET -- Sharpton: "He never gave up a dream. It was that dream that changed culture all over the world... Because Michael kept going, because he didn't accept limitations... he opened up the whole world."

2:26 p.m. ET -- The Rev. Al Sharpton, a longtime family friend, speaks.

2:24 p.m. ET -- Emotional voice-over by Michael Jackson concludes the song.

2:22 p.m. ET -- Jennifer Hudson, 7-months pregnant sings the Jackson 5's "Will You Be There?"

2:20 p.m. ET -- Magic Johnson says Jackson's children will be well cared for by the Jackson clan.

2:18 p.m. ET -- Johnson says he's known the Jacksons for 30 years. He recalls being invited by Michael Jackson to co-star in a music video with the late "King of Pop." Jackson family responds with grins and applause. 

2:16 p.m. ET -- Basketball stars Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson address the crowd. Bryant says Jackson set the Guinness Book of World records by supporting the most charities.

2:15 p.m. ET -- Rousing applause as Wonder leaves the stage.

2:10 p.m. ET -- Wonder performs "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer," from his 1971 album "Where I'm Coming From," then segues into his "They Won't Go When I Go."

2:08 p.m. ET -- Stevie Wonder takes the stage: "This is a moment that I wish I didn't live to see come. But as much as I can say that and mean it, I do know that God is good. And I do know as much ... as we needed Michael here with us, God must have needed him far more."

2:07 p.m. ET -- Jackson video montage showcases his dance moves, the adoring fans, his kids and his efforts on behalf of charity.

Getty Images / Getty Images

A program sits on a seats at the Michael Jackson's Public Memorial Service held at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

12:59 p.m. ET -- What celebrities are attending the service? Too many to count. But here are some of the big names reportedly on hand. Kobe Bryant, LeVar Burton, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Spike Lee, Tyler Perry, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, Wesley Snipes, Usher, Barbara Walters and Stevie Wonder.

 MOREHEAD, Ky. — Late in the morning last New Year's Day, Sam and Lynn Kissick received a devastating phone call that would tear their lives apart.

The caller informed them their 22-year-old daughter, Savannah, was being rushed by ambulance to the St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead, Ky. She had long battled drug addiction, but it looked like this time, Savannah had overdosed on a combination of painkillers and sedatives while celebrating New Year's Eve.

After racing to the emergency room to be by Savannah's side, her parents were met by a physician with grim news. "I'm sorry, Mr. And Mrs. Kissick, but she didn't make it," he said.

Savannah had just become the latest fatality linked to prescription drug abuse, a fast-growing problem that killed more than 8,500 Americans in 2005, according to the latest available statistics from the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says nearly 7 million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, noting that is "more than the number who are abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, ecstasy and inhalants combined." The DEA also reports that "opioid painkillers now cause more overdose deaths than cocaine and heroin combined."

"Something needs to be done, because it's killing our kids every day." said Lynn Kissick. "People need to stand up and take notice. Our kids are dying. They're dying because of these drugs."

Click here to read the rest of Mark Potter's story and see his video reports on the scourge of prescription drug abuse in Kentucky.