AceShowbiz -

In the wake of Michael Jackson's death, fans of him turned up for "American Idol" audition at Los Angeles' Rose Bowl. Associated Press said that the deceased singer became the main drive for many to participate in the singing competition's ninth season.

Around 11,000 hopefuls showed up on Tuesday, June 30 for a chance to be the next Idol. The crowd number is particularly the largest ever for a Los Angeles-area tryout. One contestant named Estrella Nouri told the reporter how Michael's death affected her, saying "I'm gonna start crying but the fact that he died, he took a part of history with him. And now it's up to us to bring that back."

Producer of the show, Patrick Lynn also commented, "Since Michael's death, a lot of people are showing support, singing his songs. He means something to an enormous amount of people." One young man paid a homage to the late King of Pop by singing "The Way You Make Me Feel" during the audition.

Due to the large crowd, incidents were bound to happen. Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said that a few people suffered from heat exhaustion. "As a precautionary measure, due to the amount of attendees, we opened up the Rose Bowl's first-aid section and increased staffing," she explained.

The next round of audition will be held on Thursday, July 9 at Orlando's Amway Arena. The ninth season of "American Idol" begins in midseason 2010.