Russians erect a shrine to pop idol

MOSCOW, July 6 (UPI) -- Among the many shrines dedicated to Michael Jackson following his death is one at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, where fans said he affected their lives.

Homemade signs, pictures and drawings of Jackson, Russian religious icons, candles and teddy bears were brought to the fence in front of the embassy beginning June 25, the day Jackson died, CNN reported.

Some fans who brought artifacts don't speak English. Others, like Zhenya Iordanskaya, 23, speak English, but she says she did not speak the language when she was 8-years-old and first heard Jackson's record, "Black or White."

"The faces of all the different people really inspired me. And the fact that he dealt with ... issues, you really have to give him credit for that," she said

Alexandra Belayeva, 20, said became a fan three years ago.

"I really got into him as a person," she said. "Because you can really see the soul of a person in their creativity, can't you."