An emotional Mariah Carey almost broke down as she performed her hit, a cover version of the Jackson 5’s I’ll Be There.

The sexy singer appeared choked up at the start of the song.

Pastor Lucious Smith addressed the audience before her performance.

“To millions around the world, Michael Jackson was an idol and a hero, even a king,” he said.

“But first and foremost this man before us was our brother, our son, our father and our friend.

“Michael Jackson was and always shall be a beloved father the Jackson family and the family of man.

“We came together in the space where only a few days ago Michael sang and danced and brought his joy as only he could…

“We remember this man by celebrating his life and all of the love that he brought to our own lives for half a century.”

Actress and rapper Queen Latifah read another heart-wrenching tribute, saying: “Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana’s Black Square, in Johannesburg and Pittsburgh and Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England, we are missing Michael Jackson.

“But we do know we had him, and we are the world.”

She was followed by a performance from Lionel Richie, who co-wrote We Are The World with Jackson.