For decades the world applauded Michael Jackson's talent and raised eyebrows at his oddball behaviour, but in the final minutes of his star-studded memorial service in Los Angeles another facet of the late King of Pop was revealed.
His brave 11-year-old daughter Paris, shielded from public view most of her life by a mask, stepped up to the microphone and spoke of her love for her famous dad and the heartbreak she feels from his death.
In this brief moment Jackson, a superstar among superstars, was humanised in a way the globe had not seen in his 50 years of life.
"I just wanted to say ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," Paris, fighting back tears, her uncles and aunties protectively standing behind her, told the 20,000-strong audience inside Staples Center and a worldwide audience estimated in the hundreds of millions.
"I just wanted to say I love him so much."
Paris turned and buried her head in her songstress aunt Janet's arms. The rest of the Jackson clan, including Paris' brothers, Prince Michael, 12, and Blanket, 7, moved in and the family shared a group hug.
The moment was an exclamation mark on a two-hour plus memorial service that critics feared would be tacky, but the decision to hold a lottery for seats, place the coffin centre stage and include performances by artists such as John Mayer who had never met Jackson proved to be the perfect send-off for a man Motown founder Berry Gordy said was unparalleled.
"The more I think and talk about Michael Jackson, I feel the King of Pop is not big enough for him," Gordy told the memorial.
"I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived."
Australians attending the memorial sat in both the VIP seats and the public areas.
Wade Robson, the Australian who befriended Jackson when he was five-years-old and, through his relationship with the pop star has become one of the world's best choreographers, was one of the Jackson family's invited guests.
Adelaide singer-guitarist Orianthi Panagaris, handpicked by Jackson to play a key part in his 50 London concerts, appeared on stage to close the memorial with other members of the crew.
They sang the Jackson classics, We are the World and Heal the World.
Lucky Australian ticket lottery winners, Morgan Roy and actress Terasa Livingstone, were blown away by the emotional memorial.
"The first 15 minutes was absolute silence," Roy told the Seven Network.
"It was quite amazing for 20,000 people to be so quiet, and then once they brought the casket in you just felt the whole place get quite sombre.
"But as soon as they started singing songs it got really positive."
Livingstone said: "It was really very touching and emotional to be in the room."
The eventful day began when a cavalcade, led by a hearse containing Jackson's silver casket and followed by black Rolls Royces, Cadillac Escalades and Range Rovers, snaked its way from the Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, where a brief private service was held, to Staples Center for the morning memorial beamed live around the world, including Australia where it was the early hours.
Legendary singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson opened the memorial with condolence letters from Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela.
Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Mayer, Usher and Stevie Wonder performed Jackson's hits or favourite songs.
"I do know that as much as we may feel we need Michael here with us, God must have needed him far more," Wonder told the audience.
Tears also flowed when actress Brooke Shields spoke at the podium, telling stories about their close friendship forged while child stars.
"Michael's favourite song was not one of the countless masterpieces he gave us, but it was a song Charlie Chaplin wrote for the movie Modern Times," Shields said.
"It's called Smile.
"There is a line in the song that says 'Smile, though your heart is aching'.
"Today, although our hearts are aching, we need to look up where he is undoubtedly perched in a crescent moon and we need to smile."
Jackson, who died in yet-to-be determined circumstances on June 25 at his rented Los Angeles mansion aged 50, lived his life in secrecy and it appears despite the immense media coverage of his death and Tuesday's memorial, one riddle remains.
The family is yet to announce when or where he will be buried.
Originally his ranch north of Los Angeles near Santa Barbara, Neverland, was identified as a potential burial spot but laws prevent bodies from being buried on private property.
Forest Lawn was also another rumoured site after the family held two services at the famed Hollywood Hills cemetery in the past 24 hours.
However, TMZ.com, which has led established media organisations in the coverage of Jackson's death, reports the body will not be returning to Forest Lawn.
The memorial has shone a global spotlight on Jackson's three children and with a potential custody battle brewing with Debbie Rowe, the mother of Prince Michael and Paris, they may be thrust into more emotional turmoil.
Jackson's mother Katherine currently has custody of her three grandchildren.
The young trio received a strong message of support from another of the key speakers, Reverend Al Sharpton, who defended their father and criticised the numerous public attacks he suffered.
"I want his three children to know there wasn't nothing strange about your Daddy," Sharpton said on stage.
"It was strange what your Daddy had to deal with."
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