Mariah Carey has admitted she regrets making a public apology about her performance at Michael Jackson’s July memorial service, revealing she was overcome by emotion when she saw the “Thriller” star’s coffin.

Shortly after his death, the “Butterfly” diva apologised online for her poor performance at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, explaining to fans that she was too upset to perform to her full abilities. Now, she says, she wishes she had said nothing.

“I regret sending that message but I was very emotional and I wasn’t happy with my performance,” Carey admits. “But we all did our best to give Michael the send off he deserves. I just forgot the world could read that. I thought I was just talking to my friends. I shouldn’t have done that because that was really only meant for Michael. That was about him.

“When I was a little kid I used to sing all his songs,” she continued. “The whole world suffered a huge loss. The whole world is going to feel this forever. I feel myself blessed to have known him, to have performed with him several times and to have sung at his memorial.”