Michael Jackson finally laid to rest

Michael Jackson, has finally been laid to rest at an intimate yet star-studded funeral service in Los Angeles.


The singer, who died aged 50 on June 25, was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California, around 10pm local time.

Last week, the LA County Coroner announced that the death had been ruled as homicide caused by acute propofol intoxication.

Celebrity mourners included Jackson’s close confidante Elizabeth Taylor, actor Macaulay Culkin and his ex-wife, Lisa Marie Presley. Also in attendance at the 200-strong gathering was singer Stevie Wonder, minister Al Sharpton, comedian Chris Tucker and actress Mila Kunis.

A host of other celebrities attended the event – which was broadcast live on US television and simultaneously streamed on the internet site TMZ.com.

But there were some noticeable absentees including Jackson’s former spouse, Debbie Rowe, and the singer Diana Ross. Escorted by a fleet of police cars, Jackson’s body was delivered in a hearse at 8.30pm local time.

The ceremony was due to start at 7pm local time, but proceedings were delayed for over an hour due to the family’s late arrival.

Those waiting at the cemetery fanned themselves with service programmes to counter the effects of a humid Californian evening.

The programmes contained pictures of the Thriller singer alongside some of his quotes. It opened with words taken from Jackson's book Dancing The Dream: "If you enter the world knowing you are loved and leave the world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with." Relatives eventually turned up in a fleet of 26 chauffeur-driven limousines.

The singer’s three young children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11 and Blanket, seven, joined mourners led by his mother, Katherine, and father Joe Jackson.

His brothers paid tribute to their late brother by each wearing his trademark sequined glove on one hand. Gladys Knight, the Motown singer, sung a version of the Lord’s Prayer in front of mourners while others gave tribute speeches.

According to CNN, Lisa Marie Presley was particularly emotional when Jackson’s body arrived. His mother, Katherine, was also reportedly weeping as he was laid to rest. Amid tight security, the singer was lowered into the ground in his gold coffin at the cemetery’s 13th Century, Italian-themed Grand Mausoleum.

Following the service, Jackson mourners gathered at an Italian restaurant in nearby Pasadena, California.

Other celebrities who have been buried at Forest Lawn include Hollywood legends Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and Red Skelton. Gotham Chopra, a close friend of the Jackson family, paid tribute to the “beautiful” ceremony, saying Michael would have been touched by the outpouring of public emotion.

He noted the “sad irony” that Jackson’s music is more popular nowadays than when many of his hits were produced in the 1980s or 90s. Others guests took to tweeting about the experience.

Mr Sharpton wrote on his Twitter page: "What MJ went through was so unfair yet he succeeded. In the end, he was the biggest artist ever. "He faced the headwinds but he made it."