Michael Jackson's mother leads memorial

GARY, Ind., June 25 (UPI) -- Pop singer Michael Jackson's mother Katherine returned to her former home in Gary, Ind., Friday to mark his death by unveiling a monument to him.

About 1,000 people welcomed the matriarch of the celebrity family outside the house on the 2300 block of Jackson Street where the monument was unveiled, the Gary, Ind., Post-Tribune reported Friday. City officials helped Jackson pull a string and tug away a red cloth covering a granite monument.

"I'd like to thank you for attending today, and remember my son," she said.

Michael Jackson was "the greatest entertainer who ever lived in the history of the world," Mayor Rudy Clay said at the memorial event.

Michael Jackson died of a drug overdose June 25, 2009, at the age of 50.

"This last year has been a very hard time for us," his mother said.

Katherine Jackson noted Gary's economic downturn and how different it is from when she was living in the city years ago.

"When we were living here in this house, you know, that's been like 41 years ago or more, and everybody's house, was no house empty, was no house torn down," she said. "Everybody was up and working and prosperous. It's so different now."