More than two months after his death from a lethal cocktail of sleeping medications, Michael Jackson was finally laid to rest last night during a private and sombre burial ceremony at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California.

The singer — whose death at the age of 50 has been ruled a homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner — was interred within Forest Lawn's Great Mausoleum, under a stained glass window depicting The Last Supper by Leonardo de Vinci.

His body lies close to that of Walt Disney and Larry Fine of the Three Stooges.

The 200 or so guests at last night's ceremony included the singer's family — his brothers all wearing black suits with red ties, sequined gloves and blue armbands — and close friends of the late singer. The latter included the actor Macaulay Culkin; the singer Stevie Wonder; Dame Elizabeth Taylor; and the baseball star Barry Bonds.