Final farewell as Michael Jackson laid to rest

US: Family and friends of Michael Jackson will bid a final farewell to the tragic King of Pop here Thursday as the singer is laid to rest in a private ceremony at a star-studded Los Angeles cemetery.

More than two months after Jackson's sudden death from a drug overdose on June 25, mourners will gather for a sunset service in a mausoleum at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park - a cemetery that is home to a galaxy of celebrity graves.

The service will be in stark contrast to the lavish public memorial held at Los Angeles's Staples Center in July, which was attended by 20,000 fans and beamed live around the world to an estimated audience of 1 billion. Police in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale on Wednesday urged Jackson devotees to stay away from the funeral, warning that the neighborhood surrounding the cemetery's entrance would be on lockdown.

"A special request would be to encourage fans to stay at home," a statement said. "The closure of the streets for the day will not afford anyone the opportunity to get anywhere near the gates."

Police helicopters and search dogs would patrol the 300-acre (120-hectare) cemetery, on the lookout for any fans trying to sneak into the service, which is due to take place at 7:00 pm (0200 GMT Friday). Jackson will be interred inside Forest Lawn's Great Mausoleum, an elaborate neo-classical building inspired by Genoa's famous Campo Santo.

Jackson's gold-plated casket will be placed in a private section of the crypt that is also home to the final resting places of famous names from Hollywood's golden age such as Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Carole Lombard.

Other entertainment icons buried at Forest Lawn include Humphrey Bogart, Lon Chaney, Nat King Cole, Walt Disney, Errol Flynn and Jimmy Stewart.

Los Angeles, Thursday, AFP