Mariah Carey apologises for memorial performance

MARIAH CAREY has said the sight of Michael Jackson's coffin almost caused her to break down during her memorial performance.

The diva fought back tears as she sang a rendition of the Jackson 5's ballad "I'll Be There." with friend and fellow singer Trey Lorenz.

But her powerful voice could barely be heard as she sang, and she had to rely on Lorenz to help her finish the song, her first worldwide number one in 1992.

After the show, she took to her page on blog site Twitter.com to tells fans she struggled with the performance.

She wrote: "Trying to sing today was basically impossible for me. I could barely keep myself from crying. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to pull it together and really do it right, but I was literally choked up when I saw him (Michael) there in front of me.

"One thing I know is, we will never really have to say goodbye to MJ. His legacy lives on through his music and the millions of people he inspired with his timeless music. He will be forever in our hearts."