MICHAEL JACKSON29
A glittering gold coffin adorned with a crown carried Michael Jackson to his final resting place here as family and friends saluted the tragic "King of Pop" in a poignant farewell.More than two months after the singer died from a drug overdose, around 200 mourners gathered at a picturesque cemetery in suburban Los Angeles to celebrate the singer's life.
Jackson's children -- Prince Michael 12, Paris, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II, otherwise known as "Blanket" -- placed a crown on their father's flower-laden coffin before the service got underway
Unpredictable to the last, Jackson was late for his own funeral, his ornate casket set down before mourners more than 90 minutes after the service had been scheduled to start at 7:00 pm local time (0200 GMT).
Jackson's brothers -- all dressed identically in black suits and each wearing a solitary white glove in tribute to the pop icon -- served as pallbearers as the coffin was removed from the hearse.
Hiss children reportedly left notes in their father's coffin reading "Daddy we love you, we miss you."
Mourners made spontaneous tributes to Jackson in a service held away from the prying eyes of hundreds of media personnel gathered outside the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, home to a who's who of late Hollywood legends.
Soul legend Gladys Knight sang the gospel hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow," while lyricist Clifton Davis belted out his hit song "Never Can Say Goodbye."
Following the ceremony, Jackson's brothers carried their sibling's casket into Forest Lawn's imposing Great Mausoleum, followed by guests.
"Michael Jackson reached his final resting place tonight at 9:43 pm (0443 GMT) in The Great Mausoleum at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park," a statement from the Jackson family read after the service.
"The Jackson Family wishes to once again thank all of Michael's fans around the world for their generous outpouring of support during this terribly difficult time."
Earlier, a convoy headed by six Rolls Royce luxury limousines transported Jackson's family to the cemetery.
Other guests included Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor, actor Macaulay Culkin and outspoken rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton, who posted on micro-blogging site Twitter during the service.
"What MJ went through was so unfair, yet he succeeded," Sharpton said. "In the end, he was the biggest artist ever. He faced the headwinds but he made it."
Invites to the ceremony urged mourners to celebrate Jackson's life.
"We loved him, we laughed with him, we sang with him. We danced with him. But on this day, we celebrate him," the invite read.
The mausoleum housing Jackson is also home to Hollywood icons Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Carole Lombard.
Other stars buried elsewhere at Forest Lawn include Humphrey Bogart, James Stewart, Spencer Tracy and Walt Disney.
Thursday's service contrasted with the lavish public memorial held at the Los Angeles Staples Center in July, which was attended by 20,000 fans and beamed live around the world to an estimated audience of one billion.
Police had cordoned off the neighborhood surrounding the cemetery after earlier urging fans to stay away from the event. Police helicopters, sniffer dogs and plain-clothes officers patrolled the 300-acre (120-hectare) cemetery, on the lookout for any fans trying to gatecrash the service.
But the law enforcement presence did not deter pockets of fans who gathered at the police perimeter, carrying posters of Jackson and playing his music on a stereo. "Anything is worth it for Michael," said one woman carrying a "Thriller" poster.
Jackson's delayed funeral followed months of speculation about the exact cause of his death and reported divisions within the singer's family about where he should be buried.
Elder brother Jermaine had said he wanted the star to be interred at his Neverland Ranch estate north of Los Angeles. Jackson fled the property in 2005 after being acquitted on child molestation charges.
Los Angeles coroners said last week that Jackson's death was being treated as a homicide and revealed that he had six drugs in his body when he died, including the powerful anesthetic propofol.
The coroner's announcement fueled speculation that authorities may charge Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, in connection with the death.
Jackson, one of the most influential figures in pop music history whose four-decade career included the highest-selling album of all-time -- "Thriller" -- had been preparing for a July concert comeback at the time of his death.(AFP)
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