Pop legend Jackson laid to rest
Family and celebrities say final goodbye to “king of pop”.
Among about 200 guests present at the funeral were actress Elizabeth Taylor, child star Macaulay Culkin and Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley.
Final farewell
Jackson’s final resting place is a crypt in Forest Lawn’s Great Mausoleum, a vast, mock-Renaissance building on the stately property.
| In depth |
|
|
The late pop star’s coffin was driven to the ceremony shortly after his family arrived for the private event.
The singer – who sold millions of albums worldwide with hits such as “Thriller” and “Billie Jean” – died of a drug overdose on June 25 in what the Los Angeles county coroner later said was a homicide.
Officials said a cocktail of prescription medication, including the powerful anaesthetic propofol and sedative lorazepam, were the primary causes of his death.
Police have investigated several doctors who treated Jackson, focusing on Conrad Murray, his personal physician, who was at his bedside when he suffered a heart attack in a rented Los Angeles mansion.
Murray was hired by concert promoter AEG Live in the weeks before Jackson’s death to watch over him as he rehearsed for a series of comeback concerts in London, scheduled to start in July.
Police have said they will seek criminal charges in the case but so far officials have not filed any.
The Jackson estate has said it will reimburse the Glendale Police Department for its expenses, estimated at up to $150,000.
The cost of the memorial service, estimated $1.4m, was absorbed by the city of Los Angeles.