Hollywood veteran Elizabeth Taylor will not attend the public memorial of Michael Jackson on Tuesday as the veteran actress wants to mourn for her friend in private.
The 77-year-old movie star was rumoured to be attending the tribute with Barry Manilow, but she revealed she would not be going to the Staples Center event in Los Angeles because she doesn't want to be a part of the "whoopla" surrounding the event.
"I've been asked to speak at the Staples Center. I cannot be part of the public whoopla. And I cannot guarantee that I would be coherent to say a word," the actress wrote on her Twitter account.
"I just don't believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others. How I feel is between us. Not a public event. I said I wouldn't go to the Staples Center and I certainly don't want to become a part of it. I love him too much," said Taylor.
"How I feel is between us. Not a public event," the actress, a long-time Jackson friend, added.
Meanwhile, stars like Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Lionel Richie and Brooke Shields have been confirmed as participants in today's memorial.
The Staples Center tribute will also feature performances and speeches from basketball stars Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson, Motown founder Berry Gordy, and artists like Martin Luther King III, John Mayer, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson.
{{/usCountry}}The Staples Center tribute will also feature performances and speeches from basketball stars Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson, Motown founder Berry Gordy, and artists like Martin Luther King III, John Mayer, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson.
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