Mariah Apologizes for Performance at MJ Memorial Mariah on Today this morning 'It was a true and honest emotional moment,' she tells 'Today' of her voice cracking during 'I'll Be There.' Mariah Carey had the difficult task of being the first performer at the Michael Jackson memorial on Tuesday. And when her voice cracked in the first few moments of her cover of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There," she said she felt like she disappointed everyone. On the "Today" show Wednesday (July 8), Carey described how hard it was for her to sing on the show and how seeing the casket made it difficult for her to get through the performance. "I feel a little bit like I let everybody down, but I really did try and it was difficult," she said. "But you know what I think? It was a true and honest emotional moment." On Tuesday, Mariah also took to her Twitter to share with her fans her disappointment over her performance and how completely emotional she became at the show. "Trying to sing today was basically impossible for me," she wrote. "I could barely keep myself from crying." She apologized for the performance, during which she was joined by her "MTV Unplugged" duet partner Trey Lorenz. "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 there in front of me," she tweeted. "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."