Jackson’s daughter Paris was in tears at the low-key private ceremony in Los Angeles, which she attended with her two brothers and

the rest of the large Jackson clan.

The ceremony began more than an hour late as mourners including 77-year-old Dame Elizabeth Taylor waited in temperatures of up to 90o for the Jackson family to arrive at the Forest Lawn cemetery, close to the burial sites of Hollywood actors Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn and Clark Gable.

Speakers at the event, which was closed to the public and TV cameras, included civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton, and soul singer Gladys Knight sang at the service.

Jackson died at his rented LA property on June 25 at the age of 50 after suffering cardiac arrest.

His mother, Katherine, was said to be unsteady at the event and following the service had to be helped to a vehicle. Jackson’s father, Joe, also attended.

The star’s brothers carried the flower-strewn coffin into the marble mausoleum at Forest Lawn, Glendale.

About 200 mourners were thought to have been invited to the event, with fans and media kept at a distance by a heavy security presence.

Among those in attendance were former child actor Macaulay Culkin, who was a friend of Jackson, and his girlfriend, actress Mila Kunis.

Jackson’s former wife, Lisa Marie Presley, was also there to pay her respects. As the

casket made its way to the front of the congregation, she was said to be visibly distressed.

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

The programme for the service 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.”

Paris, 10, was in tears as she arrived at the mausoleum but regained her composure as she and her brothers, Prince Michael, 12, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II (often known as Blanket), listened to the service.

The trio placed a crown – to signify their father’s status as the King of Pop – on the coffin.

Overlooking the ceremony were a pair of large portrait photographs of the singer in his younger days, as well as floral displays of white lilies and roses.

Family members sat in the front rows for the service, and some wore a sequinned glove in tribute.

Yesterday’s private funeral was in marked contrast to the star-studded televised public memorial event staged at LA’s Staples Centre in July, which was attended by fans who won tickets in a lottery.

The Jackson family did allow a live video feed of mourners arriving, but this was cut abruptly as the hearse carrying Jackson’s body arrived.

Despite concerns that the burial would cause a headache for police trying to contain both media and fans, the ceremony appeared to take place without incident.

Before the ceremony, Sergeant Tom Lorenz, of the Glendale Police Department, said the security operation had “worked well so far”.

He said no uninvited mourners had tried to enter the grounds.

Forest Lawn’s Glendale site is one of LA’s favoured burial sites for the rich and famous. The mausoleum in which Jackson was laid to rest boasts replicas of the work of Renaissance greats, including Michelangelo’s David and Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper recreated in stained glass.

The funeral was being paid for by the Jackson estate. Earlier this week, Jeryll Cohen, a lawyer for the administrators of the estate, said: “The expenses are extraordinary. However, Michael Jackson was extraordinary.”

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

The ruling heightens the prospect of criminal charges being made against Jackson’s personal physician, Dr Conrad Murray, who is known to have administered the powerful sedative shortly before the singer collapsed.

CELEBRITY CEMETERY IS RESTING PLACE FIT FOR A KING

Michael Jackson joins a long list of famous Americans who have been laid to rest in a Forest Lawn cemetery over the last century.

The private cemeteries, described as “memorial parks and mortuaries”, are located on 10 sites in California.

Set in vast, landscaped grounds with gardens, sculptures, churches and fountains, Forest Lawn offers a range of funeral packages costing up to $12,780 (£7880).

While the company is secretive about celebrities who are buried there, visitors have passed on their knowledge about where to find them via the internet.

Stars including Bette Davis, Lucille Ball and Stan Laurel are said to be in the Hollywood Hills memorial park – the venue for Jackson’s private funeral.

Hollywood actors such as Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn and Clark Gable are also reported to be buried in the Glendale cemetery, which opened in 1906.

Although some graves can be spotted on a trip through the large parks, others – such as Bogart’s – are contained in locked gardens that are closed to the public.

Jackson’s final resting place in Los Angeles is billed on the Forest Lawn website as offering “an idyllic landscape that proudly showcases our unique collection of American architecture and artworks that honour our country”.

Graves are positioned in areas of the cemetery with names such as Sheltering Hills, Celestial Love, Vale of Hope, Enduring Faith and Murmuring Trees.

Celebrity hotspot Glendale boasts replicas of Michelangelo’s works including David, and Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper recreated in stained glass. As well as funerals, Forest Lawn hosts weddings and other functions.rks including David, and Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper recreated in stained glass. As well as funerals, Forest Lawn hosts weddings and other functions.

PAULA FENTIMAN