New York City Remembers Michael Jackson

From Harlem to Times Square, tributes to the Gloved One

It was a year ago that we heard the stunning news that pop star Michael Jackson had died. On June 25th, 2010, Jackson is being remembered around the world and in New York at Harlem's Apollo Theater, where his meteoric rise to fame began.

Fans gathered near Jackson's newly placed plaque on the Apollo's Walk of Fame on 125th Street. It was at the Apollo-- in the late 1960's--that Jackson and his brothers won an amateur contest, which helped catapult their careers.

But before his death at the age of fifty, Jackson's image had become tarnished after years of legal battles over claims of child molestation.

In front of the Apollo, Christopher Cropper of Harlem told us "I hear his songs, I see his pictures and I just feel so bad for him. Because had somebody reached out to him, he'd still be here today.

Agnes Milewski of Maspeth Queens, said "I still feel people should stop talking negatively about him and start seeing how wonderful he was."

Ironically, Michael Jackson's death sparked a new wave of popularity, even among those too young to really be that familiar with the King of Pop, including little Sammy Petrucci, from Norwich Connecticut who said he's been a Michael Jackson fan since he was five years old. He's now six. He was dancing in front of the Apollo to the beat of "You Rock My World" his favorite song.

Following his death last year, Jackson topped the Billboard album chart for two months. And over the past year, he's sold 42-million albums worldwide, and another 26-million songs digitally, according to Neilsen SoundScan.

Fans eager to pay tribute to the "Gloved One" also took pictures next to his lifelike image at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Times Square. Crystal Burrell of Brooklyn told us she was there because Michael "was a wonderful musician and I just wanted to celebrate his life and appreciate the influence he had on me."

Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, faces a criminal charge in connection with Jackson's death, after administering a powerful anesthetic to help the superstar singer sleep.

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died June 25th, 2009 at 5:26pm. That time is being marked with a moment of silence on 125th Street in front of the State Office Building.

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