UPDATED: Elizabeth Taylor Laid To Rest Near Michael Jackson At Forest Lawn Cemetary In Glendale
The Oscar winner, Hollywood legend and AIDS activist's funeral took place on Thursday afternoon at Forest Lawn Memorial Parks & Mortuaries in Glendale, Calif.
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"Elizabeth Taylor was laid to rest this afternoon at a small private funeral service attended by family and close friends in The Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn-Glendale. The service was scheduled to begin at 2 PM but at Miss Taylor's request started late. Miss Taylor had left instructions that it was to begin at least 15 minutes later than publicly scheduled, with the announcement, 'She even wanted to be late for her own funeral,'" a statement from the late actress' rep to Access Hollywood read.
Rabbi Jerry Cutler officiated the service and Colin Farrell, described by the rep as a "close friend" of the actress, recited Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem "The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo."
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Afterward, Elizabeth's son Michael Wilding, her grandson Tarquin Wilding, and her daughter Liza Burton Tivey, read other selections.
Her grandson Rhys Tivey performed a moving trumpet solo of "Amazing Grace," according to the rep.
Elizabeth had a closed casket service and it was draped with gardenias, violets and lily of the valley.
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She was interred at the Great Mausoleum, "sheltered beneath a soaring marble Michelangelo angel," the statement concluded.
Forest Lawn in Glendale is also where Elizabeth's longtime close friend, Michael Jackson, is entombed. It was not immediately clear if Elizabeth chose to be buried near her friend or if it was merely a coincidence.
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The Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn in Glendale is also where Michael was laid to rest in 2009. Clark Gable and Jean Harlow are also interred in the majestic burial site, according to Radar Online.
Five limousines carrying family members arrived shortly before the service, which lasted about an hour. White flowers were also spotted being delivered to the mortuary.
Prior to the service, Tom Lorez, a spokesperson for Glendale Police Department, told reporters that authorities expected a "peaceful event." He added that approximately "three dozen" guests would be attending the service.
Following the screen legend's death on Thursday, the Taylor family asked fans, in lieu of flowers, to contribute towards the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
The actress died peacefully at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in LA on Wednesday surrounded by her children, Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd, and Maria Burton. She had been hospitalized six weeks ago with congestive heart failure, a condition with which she had struggled for some years.
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