LOS ANGELES , California ( CNN ) -- People walked by 12-year-old Yance Phillips as he danced on Hollywood Boulevard on Sunday . YaYa , 2 , stands near framed coverage of Michael Jackson 's death on the Walk of Fame on Sunday . He swayed and bounced to the beat of a boom box , drawing only a glance from people making their way down the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Then he moonwalked , and suddenly , Phillips had the crowd 's attention . `` I watched Michael Jackson , and I just tried to do it like he does , '' Yance said . `` I like the moves that he does . '' As thousands gathered in Los Angeles to say goodbye to a star who had been entertaining since he was a little boy , it was hard not to notice the children in the crowd . Toddlers in the arms of their parents who were fans , and kids wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Jackson 's face gathered at the Staples Center and beyond as the city geared up for the pop icon 's memorial service . A group of tweens even pooled their money to trek from the Valley to Hollywood -- sans adults and sharing a digital camera -- to take pictures of Jackson 's star on the Walk of Fame for a video they wanted to create . See what fans had to say at the Walk of Fame » . They were too young to know about the singer 's legal troubles or to remember a time when Jackson 's appearance was quite different from what it was in his final years . To them , he was just a star who could sing and dance across a floor like magic . `` I like all of his music and how he dresses , '' said 8-year-old Sarah McClure as she glanced down at her own Michael Jackson T-shirt . `` My favorite is 'Thriller . ' `` McClure traveled more than 90 miles with her little sister , Emily , 5 , and her mother , Geri McClure , to visit the Staples Center , where the memorial to Jackson will be held Tuesday . As they waited in line to sign a wall of remembrance to the singer , Geri McClure said she wanted her daughters `` to be a part of history . '' `` Plus , they love his music , '' she added . `` He was an entertainer for the different generations . '' Barbara Alvarez and her husband , David , endured the heat as well as they waited with their children Isaac , 8 , William , 4 , and 1-year-old Ava . `` Watching and listening to Michael Jackson was one of the happiest memories of my childhood , '' Alvarez said . `` I grew up on his music . '' She wanted to impart that to her kids . Isaac smiled shyly as his mother revealed that he became a fan years ago after she showed him the `` Thriller '' video . `` My daughter even dances to his music , '' said Alvarez , as Ava rested in the shade of her stroller . Yance Phillips said he was doing his moonwalk on Hollywood Boulevard to raise money to help bury a relative . Donations poured into the jar at his feet . His grandmother , Regina Stevenson , said Jackson 's appeal was-wide ranging and touched fans of all ages and nationalities . `` He showed children of all races that they could be successful , '' Stevenson said . Maria Pace , who is almost 20 years old , said she can remember how Jackson helped ease the path of her younger years . She was a shy girl from Spain , unsure of how to make friends in her new homeland of Bakersfield , California , when a fellow classmate played some Michael Jackson music and the pair bonded . `` She liked Michael Jackson music , and I liked Michael Jackson music , and we started dancing to it , '' Pace recalled . `` It was me , her and another girl , and we became known as the Jackson girls . '' Pace said she does n't believe there will ever be another entertainer like Jackson , but she hopes younger generations continue to be inspired by him -- especially a trio of children who know firsthand of his talent . `` Maybe one day , '' Pace said , `` one of his children will become a performer . ''
Children among thousands in Los Angeles saying goodbye to pop star . Jackson , who died June 30 at age 50 , had been entertaining since he was little . Toddlers in parents ' arms , children in Jackson T - shirts gather at Staples Center and beyond . Fans , some of whom who 'd traveled far , recall Jackson 's impact on their lives .