NEWSParis Jackson's Speech Unplanned
July 8 2009, Published 6:56 a.m. ET
As the whole world buzzes about Paris Jackson's touching and tearful speech at her father Michael Jackson's memorial service yesterday, the producer of the service says the moving moment wasn't planned in advance.
Producer Ken Ehrlich tells CNN that he "didn't know the kids were going to come up with them" and that Paris' tribute "was not planned."
"A lot of the show was not scripted. Music was laid out, but most of the speakers really spoke from their heart – people who knew Michael well – and I think that’s what gave the show its heart," he added.
- Why Michael Jackson's Sister La Toya, 69, Is at the Center of Massive Health Fears — After Niece Paris Revealed Drug-Ravaged Nose
- Paris Jackson Opens Up About the Hard Truths of Sobriety: 'Life Ain't Perfect'
- Paris Jackson Reveals She Has a Hole in Her Nose From Drug Use — But Refuses Plastic Surgery After Nearly 6 Years of Sobriety
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
And while some might think the Jackson family shouldn't have let MJ's daughter, who used to wear a mask, speak to the millions watching, they insisted that the service was meant as a public memorial, not a TV show, saying, "We don’t want to do a TV show, we want to do a memorial service. We hope you got the feeling you were watching a memorial service.”
