Elizabeth Taylor Laid to Rest

Legendary star arranged for the service to begin 15 minutes late

Elizabeth Taylor has been laid to rest in the same Hollywood cemetery as her late longtime friend Michael Jackson.

About four dozen members of Taylor’s family and close friends paid their last respects in a private funeral Thursday afternoon at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles, The Associated Press reported.

Stretch limos brought Taylor's family to and from the 2 p.m. service, which Glendale police spokesman Tom Lorenz said lasted about an hour.

But the service began 15 minutes behind schedule per Taylor's request, People reported.

"She even wanted to be late for her own funeral," a family rep told the mag in a statement. People also reported the service featured a reading by actor Colin Farrell and one of her grandchildren performed "Amazing Grace" on the trumpet.

The funeral came just one day after the screen legend died from congestive heart failure at age 79, having been hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center since early February.

Taylor, who was infamously married eight times to seven husbands, converted to Judaism before her 1959 wedding to Eddie Fisher. Jewish customs call for a burial within 48 hours of death.

Taylor was a three-time Oscar winner and an early advocate in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Her death elicited wall-to-wall news coverage and an outpouring of remembrances from other Hollywood celebrities.

"She was the most glamorous and sexual star of our generation," actress Debbie Reynolds, whose husband once left her for Taylor, told Access Hollywood. "No one else could equal Elizabeth's beauty and sexuality. Women liked her and men adored her, and her love for her children is enduring."

Taylor underwent at least 20 major operations during her life and nearly died from a bout with pneumonia in 1990. In 1994 and 1995, she had both hip joints replaced, and in February 1997, she underwent surgery to remove a benign brain tumor. In 1983, she acknowledged a 35-year addiction to sleeping pills and pain killers, and was treated for alcohol and drug abuse at the Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Survivors include Taylor's daughters Maria Burton-Carson and Liza Todd-Tivey, sons Christopher and Michael Wilding, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Taylor's publicist said any details of a memorial service for Taylor's fans would likely be announced at a later date.

Other entertainers buried at Forest Lawn include: Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, W.C. Fields, Red Skelton, Gracie Allen, Walt Disney and Nat King Cole.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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