New Delhi, July 8 : Brooke Shields failed to fight back tears as she paid tribute to the late King of Pop at his memorial service.

The actress couldn''t control her emotions while speaking about the singer she was rumoured to have dated, reports the China Daily.

Addressing mourners at Los Angeles'' Staples Center - including the late singer''s family, Brooke spoke about the time the late singer had tried teaching her his famous moonwalk dance and when they tried to sneak a glance at Elizabeth Taylor''s wedding dress.

"The picture captions used to refer to us as an odd couple. But to us it was the most natural and easiest of friendships. We made it fun," she said.

Shields also said that she used to tease the `Thriller' hitmaker about his eccentric way of dressing, joking: "I was like, what''s up with the glove? If you''re going to hold my hand, it better be the non-gloved one, because sequins really hurt my hand!"

Recalling that Jackson's favourite song had been the Charlie Chaplin-penned ''Smile'', Brooke finished her speech by referencing the song, saying: "We need to look up, where he is undoubtedly perched on a crescent moon, and we need to smile." (ANI)