Michael Jackson's Last Act

Michael Jackson spent his final night alive in his favorite spot on Earth: the stage. He did a full run-through of his planned comeback concert. He and his company -- dancers, musicians, singers, aerial performers, choreographers and costumers -- planned to fly to England early next week for final dress rehearsals at London's O2 Arena, the site of the pop superstar's 50-night sold-out run.

By lunchtime Thursday, Jackson was in cardiac arrest. But in Staples Center's spotlight, he was in high spirits and totally engaged, according to a number of his collaborators. Energetic, optimistic and focused, Jackson gave no indication of what was to come, they said. Randy Phillips, chief executive of AEG Live, the concert promoter that will forfeit the more than $20 million it put into staging Jackson's comeback, was among those at Staples Center. "It was fantastic, he was so great. I got goose bumps," Phillips said. "It made me realise why I got into this business.

"I take great solace in the pride and confidence he exhibited during production rehearsals. That is the memory I will cherish for the rest of my life," Phillips said.

Ken Ehrlich, the longtime executive producer of the Grammy Awards who staged televised performances by Jackson half a dozen times, met with the performer at Staples on Wednesday to discuss a television project. "He was very warm and funny. He was having a good time," Ehrlich said.

After the meeting, the singer invited Ehrlich to stay and watch him rehearse. The show was still a work in progress, with props that Ehrlich recalled as "looking pretty magical" strewn about the venue's floor. Jackson seemed committed to the work but stopped short of putting his complete energy into the run-through, he said.

Watching the singer perform his hits showed Ehrlich Jackson's pervasive influence on a new generation of superstars: "The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I wasn't watching Justin Timberlake or Chris Brown or Usher or any of the hundreds of acts that have taken from Michael. The modern inheritors of his art. It was him."