Michael Jackson’s Burial

“Never can say goodbye.” It’s a song that Michael Jackson sang with his brothers as part of the Jackson Five, and so it seemed fitting for the song’s writer Clifton Davis to perform it at the King of Pop’s funeral. For his millions of fans, the lyric is painfully true.

According to CNN, Michael Jackson was finally laid to rest last night at the famous Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California. He passed away 10 weeks ago on June 25, but autopsies and toxicology reports delayed his burial. The service was late, too; originally scheduled for 7 pm, things didn’t really get underway for another 90 minutes. Many celebrities, including Elizabeth Taylor and Macaulay Culkin, waited in their seats for the Jackson family’s 26-car caravan to arrive.

Ther service began with Jackson’s five brothers – each wearing a single sequined glove — carrying his flower-covered bronze casket onto the outdoor stage. Then Michael’s three children, led by his 11 year-old daughter, Paris, placed a crown atop their father’s coffin. The front row was filled with Jackson’s children, parents and siblings, while his nieces and nephews sat in the several rows behind them.

Michael’s father, Joe Jackson, was one of many family members and friends who stood at a lectern and shared personal stories and reflections – but their words remain private as news cameras were barred from the ceremony. A family statement issued afterward said that family and friends spoke “spontaneously to celebrate Michael’s life.”