Filipino prisoners who shot to global fame with their recreation of Michael Jackson's classic Thriller video are preparing their own tribute to the King of Pop.

So saddened were the inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Centre at news of the superstar's death that they whipped up a few dance numbers overnight.

Already well drilled in the moves for Thriller thanks to their monthly dancing exercise classes, they have now added interpretations of I'll Be There, We Are The World and Ben.

Jail officials say the message of hope in I'll Be There has a particular resonance for the prisoners.

"I was affected by his death, because he was the one who gave us inspiration in prison. He made us famous," said Crisanto Niere, 36, who is in jail for drug trafficking and who played Jackson in the Thriller number.

The Thriller dance, originally part of a physical fitness programme set up in 2007, catapulted the inmates to Internet stardom. The video has had 23.4 million hits on You Tube.

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