The King of Pop Laid to Rest – RIP!

Source: Various:

Michael Jackson, The King of Pop, was finally laid to eternal rest yesterday night in a crypt fit for a king. Exactly 10 weeks after his death, Michael Jackson's family and about 200 of their closest friends gathered on a hill Thursday evening for their final farewell to the pop singer.

Thursday's service, in a tree-lined clearing of Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale, began 90 minutes past the announced start time. Dozens of celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor waited in their seats for the 26 cars carrying the Jackson clan to arrive.

MJ - RIP

It began with Jackson's five brothers; each wearing a single sequined glove; carrying his flower-covered bronze casket onto the outdoor stage among six large bouquets of white lilies and white roses, along with green topiaries.

His three children, led by daughter, Paris, 11, placed a crown atop their father's coffin, which a family spokesman said it was "to signify the final resting place of the King of Pop."

Jackson's children, parents and siblings took their seats in the front row, while his nieces and nephews filled several rows of white chairs behind them.

After an opening prayer by Pastor Lucius Smith, soul music legend Gladys Knight sang the gospel hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow." Clifton Davis sang "Never Can Say Goodbye," a hit he wrote for The Jackson 5 -- the group that featured a young Michael and his brothers.

Among the celebrities at the service were singer Stevie Wonder and legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor, who was dressed in black and arrived in a wheelchair, lawyer Thomas A. Mesereau Jr., who successfully defended Jackson from child molestation charges; and choreographer-director Kenny Ortega, who was directing Jackson's planned London concerts. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Marlon Brando's son Miko and comic Chris Tucker were also there.

The King of Pop's first wife, Lisa Marie Presley, actor Macaulay Culkin and Barry Bonds, the disgraced Major League Baseball home-run king, also attended the burial.

Motown founder Berry Gordy, who gave Jackson and his brothers their first big record deal, and Quincy Jones, who produced Jackson's "Thriller" album, were there. Music producer Teddy Riley, who helped with Jackson's 1991 "Dangerous" album, attended.

When the hour-long service ended, his brothers lifted Jackson's casket for a final time to carry him inside the Great Mausoleum, where he was placed in his crypt at 9:43 p.m. PT (12:43 a.m. ET Friday).

The family statement said it was "his final resting place." The 13-time Grammy winner's remains were laid to rest in a concrete-reinforced crypt in the Holly Terrace section of a gothic, fortress-like Great Mausoleum.

The massive mausoleum, the final resting place for Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and dozens of other celebrities, is normally open to tourists, though the public is denied close access to crypts. Security guards, aided by cameras, keep constant vigil over the graves and crypts, which are surrounded by a world-class collection of art and architecture.

The Glendale police established a security cordon, blocking off streets around the 300-acre cemetery and relegating the sprinkling of fans who showed up to positions behind barricades a couple of blocks away. A dozen fans held up a banner reading "King of Pop Michael Jackson Gone Too Soon."





We love you MJ! May your soul rest in eternal peace.

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