>> couric: and good evening, everyone. from the staples center today, part church, part concert hall for the final good-bye to michael jackson. they played his music and showed his videos, told his stories and celebrated his life. they cried, they laughed, and they sang, including the man who's with me right now, the great stevie wonder. i'll be talking with stevie a little bit later in the broadcast about his friendship with michael jackson and today's moving tribute. ♪ soon and very soon we are going to see the king ♪ >> couric: many thought it was impossible to match anything michael jackson did during his remarkable life and career, but that was before today. ♪ soon and very soon... >> couric: before one of the most extraordinary final bows anyone can remember.

michael jackson's brothers were his pallbearers, all wearing his trademark white glove. this would be the last time the jackson 5 would share the stage together. ♪ wherever you need me, i'll be there ♪ >> couric: 20,000 people were inside the staples center, and tens of millions more watching around the world as the biggest stars in entertainment eulogized their friend. ♪ i treated you bad... >> i wrote that song! (laughter) i thought "now they have pulled a fast one on us. because this boy cannot possibly be ten years old." that's my little brother over

there. and you just don't think that you're going to see or you'll live to see him gone. >> couric: then there was motown founder barry gordy who thought of michael as his son. >> this little kid had an incredible knowingness about him. he sang with such feeling, inspiration. michael had a quality that i couldn't completely understand. but we all knew he was special. sure, there was some sad times and maybe some questionable decisions on his part, but michael jackson accomplished everything he dreamed of. >> couric: brooke shields met michael when she was just 13. they were two young stars who had to grow up fast in the glare of the spotlight. >> today, although our hearts

are aching, we need to look up where he is undoubtedly perched in a ces crescent moon and we need to smile. ♪ smile, what's the use in cry >> couric: but it was through tear-filled eyes that jermaine jackson sang "smile," one of his little brother's favorite songs. and a queen honored a king with words from poet maya angelou. >> "in the instant we learned that michael is gone, we know nothing. he came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance ♪ father, help your children... ♪ >> couric: and there were comforting words for michael's three children, once seen only in masks and veils.

>> i want his three to children to know, wasn't nothing strange about your daddy, it was strange what your daddy had to deal with. but he dealt with it! (cheers and applause) every time you counted him out, he came back in! michael never stopped! michael never stopped! michael never stopped! >> couric: just days before, michael jackson had danced on this stage. now it provided a place for his 11-year-old daughter paris to say good-bye. >> ever since i was born daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. and i just wanted to say i love him so much.

>> couric: the ultimate human face on this tragic loss that shows michael jackson wasn't only a global superstar but a son, a brother, and, as we just saw, a father. fans of michael jackson came from all over the country to be at this memorial or as close as they could get to it. as ben tracy tells us, they were drawn here by a once shining and now fallen star. >> reporter: he may have been the king of pop, but to his fans michael jackson was like a modern day pied piper and today they followed him to the end. ♪ i'll be there, you know i'll be there... ♪ >> some were lucky you have no score tickets and a seat inside. >> i'm so happy! i had hope. >> have your wristbands visible, walk slowly, watch your step,

please. >> reporter: paulette mccowin flew in from texas. >> i'm so excited to be a part of this historical event because you never get an opportunity like this in your life. ♪ saying that's okay, hey, baby, do what you please... ♪ >> reporter: others without tickets came from just down the block and from down under. leo scarola flew from from australia with his wife. she got a ticket, he did not. >> my wife is in there. >> reporter: this crowd was kept blocks away in the so-called cold zone. >> i would love if they'd turn on the t.v. and show us what's going on inside. >> reporter: mostly they didn't mind having a front row seat to nothing. they weren't here for the view (came down here just for this knowing that i wasn't going to get in. just to be here with the atmosphere and love. >> let's not get crazy. i have one ticket. >> reporter: this guy spread the love by giving a ticket away to a fan who in turn gave it to his dad. meanwhile, the police presence was massive. >> try it again. >> reporter: 3,000 l.a.p.d.

officers, more than were on hand for the 1984 los angeles olympics. but the crowds they feared could swell towards a quarter million never materialized. in the end, it was about 600. >> the crowds have been respectful. they have been orderly. no issues with that. i think we had one arrest so far for somebody disturbing the peace. >> reporter: most people wanted a chance to say good-bye sxwchlt he's gone too soon, he's an icon, the king of pop. i just had to be here. >> reporter: lots of michael jackson fans still hanging out here near the staples center. in the last couple days they have been signing their names to this giant wall back here. no word as to what will become of that. katie? >> couric: meanwhile, california is something like $26 billion in debt. so how will the state pay for this huge police presence and lots of overtime costs? >> reporter: it's going to fall on the city's shoulders, and the city of los angeles is cash-strapped right now. we're told today's event will cost the city about $3.8

million. however, today the city set up a web site asking... actually asking people for donations. we called them, but no word yet as to whether they've gotten any donations. katie? >> couric: all right. ben tracy. ben, thank you so much. now, even fans who couldn't be here shared in the mourning and the memories and the music. all over the country and all over the world. here's jeff glor. ♪ hallelujah... >> reporter: at the a.m.e. church two miles from the staples center, an emotional crowd watched, danced, and dang. ♪ that's why i want you know i'm starting with the man in the mirror... ♪ >> reporter: from churches. >> i just wanted to be around people that cared as much about michael as i did. >> reporter: to theaters, to city streets mourners gathered across the country.& >> it's also a celebration of one's life. so we just wanted to be a part of that. >> we're going to say good-bye to michael in our way. >> reporter: at neverland ranch, single white gloves on visitors

and in detroit a motown tribute. in new york, the memorial was broadcast in times square. >> just that one human being out of millions and millions of people that can actually make an impact on so many people. just one person. it's amazing. >> reporter: and in harlem, fans filled the streets not far from the apollo theater where the jackson 5 broke through 42 years ago. overseas, even the president took note. >> this is one of the greatest entertainers in american history he had a profound impact over not just one generation but two because of the longevity of his career. >> reporter: that impact was celebrated worldwide. in the dark of australia's winter night, with balloons in moscow, and makeshift shrines in london. >> i will be telling the story of michael jackson to my children. i will be saying what a wonderful, magical, brilliant person that he was. >> reporter: and there is still one more tribute to come in

jackson's hometown of gary, indiana, at a minor league baseball park on friday. katie? >> couric: all right. jeff glor, thank you so much for that report tonight. and this program note. i'll be anchoring a special 48 hours, a special edition of "48 hours," "michael jackson. the last dance" tonight at 10:00 9:00 central here on cbs. and coming up next on the "cbs evening news" from los angeles, stevie wonder. remembering michael jackson. ♪ born to amuse, to inspire to delight ♪

does two jobs... at once.

one: kills weeds to the root. two: forms a barrier, preventing new ones for up to four months. roundup extended control. >> couric: we're honored to be joined now by stevie wonder who, of course, took part in today's memorial service. stevie, this must have been a very difficult day for you. >> it's been a very difficult 12 days, really. but last t last two days i had more peace. just knowing that michael gave so much of himself, gave so much of himself to the world as a musician, singer, song writer, dancer. his commitment to making this world with his songs, with his expressions of not just talking

about it but being about it made a difference in the world in the time that he lived and obviously he died too soon. >> couric: i know you first met the jackson 5 when they sang backup vocals for one of your songs. this is what i was told. i guess it was "you haven't done nothing yet." and that was a long time ago, stevie, wasn't it? >> it was '74 when we did that. and it was '74 the latter part, the late summer is when i wrote the song and they were kind enough to come and sing the background. and michael was very keirs you about how i worked. but actually i had met michael a little after... shortly after he came to motown when he was, like nine years old, nine or ten. >> couric: were you amazed by

his talent? i mean, you were a child star yourself, little stevie wonder. but were you amazed by his voice? >> very similarly to smokey. you know, the way he sang the song "who's loving you" i said what? he's got to be older than nine. but he was nine. nine or ten. he was nine, yeah. and he has got to be looking at history as one of the greatest readers of the song. a song writer wants to always have a singer that is able to take the lyric and give it the complete meaning that it was meant to be when the song was written. so he took the lyric of "who's loving you" and other songs that he did and made it completely believable. in your opinion that experience and he was great with that. >> couric: and he did it time and time again. stevie wonder. stevie, thank you so much for coming and sharing your thoughts

with us on what i know is a difficult day for you. >> yeah. it's a very painful moment. it's sort of surreal i guess. as much as i know it's true, i can't believe it. but i just encourage everyone to take... take the book of michael's life and the positive things that he did and the music that he made and the songs that he sang and the commitment that he made to humanity, take that book and read it and we all can be inspired to do more for our humanity as he did. >> couric: well, stevie wonder, again, thank you so much, stevie. >> and thank you for keeping it positive. >> couric: and we'll be right back.

>> couric: back now from los angeles, and news beyond the memorial service for michael jackson. overseas, president obama says it's time to move beyond cold war thinking. he wrapped up his trip to moscow today by suggesting the united states and russia team up on important issues like stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. the president spoke with our chief white house correspondent chip reid who's traveling with him. >> reporter: the president came to moscow to reset u.s./russian relations after years of drift and confrontation. >> we think there's an excellent

opportunity to put u.s./russian relations on a much stronger footing. >> reporter: an aim that can be accomplished only with the assent of prime minister vladimir putin, the man widely believed to hold most of the levers of power here. after a two-hour breakfast with putin, president obama sat down with cbs news. >> i think this is a very smart, very tough, very unsentimental person. >> reporter: despite that less-than-warm personal assessment, the president said they're mostly on the same page on some vital issues. >> and i don't think that the russians want to see iran possessing a nuclear weapon. >> reporter: white house advisors say mr. obama repeatedly brought up the danger of a nuclear iran in private meetings, urging russian leaders to take the threat more seriously. a case he also made regarding north korea which this weekend launched another round of threatening test missile flights. do you worry about the possibility of war with north korea? how close are we? >> i don't think that any war is imminent with north korea.

i think they understand that they would be overwhelmed in a serious military conflict with the united states. >> reporter: the centerpiece of this summit is a provisional agreement to reduce the two nation's nuke lear arsenals by as much as a third, signed by president obama and russian president dmitry medvedev. mr. obama calls it leading by example. >> once you do that, then you've got an international community that is collectively focused on the issue so that when we approach north korea or iran, it is as a united front. >> reporter: the president also prodded this government-controlled nation to become more democratic. in a speech today he said governments that serve their own people survive, those that seven their own power do not. chip reid, cbs news, moscow. >> couric: and i'll be back with the music and magic of michael jackson. to a good breakfast. one coffee with room, one large mocha latte.

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