Paris remembers Michael Jackson

   Michael Jackson's star in Hollywood

Parisians and provincial Frenchmen will be paying tribute to Michael Jackson, the unconditional king of pop who died on June 25, 2009.

At the Grévin Wax Museum, the recreation of the world's most famous pop star had his place between French singers Claude François and Mireille Mathieu. But on Friday, the museum "promoted" him to the upper floor. Wax Michael Jackson now shares the stage with wax Johnny Hallyday, a French rocker whom the French refer to as "our national Johnny."

When Jackson came to Paris for the inauguration of his wax double, part of the heart of Paris was closed to trafic. Véronique Berecz, public relations manager for the Musée Grévin had the opportunity to meet the singer on four separate occasions.

In Jackson's home in Los Angeles, where Berecz had been invited to take the star's measurements for his double. "I saw him without his shirt on. Certain fans would have gone crazy!" She especially remembers Jackson as "adorable and curious about everything" asking lots of questions about French history and the assassination of Marat during the French Revolution.

This evening, Michael Jackson's French fan club is organizing a public memorial service in front of Notre Dame cathedral. For the occasion, they even dressed their web site in mourning black with the single message "We Love You Forever" in English.

On the French net, invitations to post adieu films, organize gatherings and tributes flourished. So did calls to organize giant Moonwalks, Michael's signature dance step that was inspired by famous French mime Marcel Marceau. This Sunday, hundreds if not thousands of fans will come together in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower in a giant memorial Moonwalk.

For Stéphane, salesperson at Virgin Megastore, Michael Jackson was the last "intergalactic artist." "To take his place on the pop throne, the next artist will have to be damned good," explained the young man in his 30s after having set up a display dedicated to the leader of the Jackson Five.

The album Thriller, released in 1982, has sold 118 million copies all over the world according to Sony BMG—an unprecedented record in music history.

To read more about how Michael touched a few Parisians' lives, read here.