Thriller Inmates' Jackson Tribute Video

Philippines - Their prison yard rendition of the dance number from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video made them Internet sensations. Now, about 1,500 inmates are reprising their moves in a final tribute to the king of pop.

After being told of Jackson's death, they practiced for nine hours last night and into the early morning hours, swaying and stomping like the Zombie dancers in the original.

Then, they performed for a crowd of about 700 locals and foreign tourists, who watched the orange-clad inmates from a second floor corridor above the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center's exercise yard.

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You can watch the video below.

The prison first recorded the routine two years ago and it became a big hit on YouTube, attracting more than 24 million hits. They've since posted more than a dozen inmate dance numbers.

A security consultant came up with the idea of adding synchronized dancing to encourage inmates to participate in otherwise poorly attended exercise sessions.

Says one inmate of Jackson, "we lost our idol."