Hong Kong, Taiwan fans mourn Michael Jackson

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Published: July 5, 2009

HONG KONG (AP) — Michael Jackson fans gathered in Hong Kong and Taiwan to imitate their late hero's dance moves and watch his performances Sunday, as tributes to the American pop legend continued to pour in from Asia more than a week after his death.

In Hong Kong, fans wearing Jackson's trademark fedora hat bowed to a poster of him and performed his body-jerking, crotch-grabbing dance moves to songs like "Beat It" and "Billy Jean," as hundreds peered over railings at a multistory suburban mall to watch.

The memorial also featured an exhibition of Jackson memorabilia including CDs, figurines, pins and magazines.

"I'm sad that the world lost a genius," said one performer, 17-year-old high school student Lam Yuet-wing, who wore a black sequined jacket and a single white glove in honor of his hero.

Jackson, who died last Thursday in Los Angeles, enjoyed a huge following in Asia.

In the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, about 200 fans held a memorial where impersonators performed on a stage adorned with his photos. Many sobbed as they watched videos of Jackson's concerts.

"I paid tribute to him with my dance," said Kao Sha-ming, 30, wiping tears after he mimicked Jackson's moves in a red T-shirt and a black jacket.

Kim Lin, 32, said she was picked to dance with Jackson when he performed in Taiwan in 1996. She said she screamed for 20 minutes after hearing about his death.

"My god of music just died. It was too hard to accept that because I was so close to him on the stage," she recalled.

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Associated Press writer Annie Huang in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.