Elizabeth Taylor Laid to Rest in Private Funeral Service
March 24, 2011 — -- Elizabeth Taylor was laid to rest in a small funeral ceremony today at The Great Mausoleum in Glendale, Calif.'s Forest Lawn Cemetery, the same cemetery where her close friend Michael Jackson is entombed.
The service was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. PT but began late because Taylor left instructions that it was to begin at least 15 minutes later than publicly scheduled.
"She even wanted to be late for her own funeral," read a statement from Taylor's publicist, Sally Morrison.
The multi-denominational service lasted approximately one hour, with actor Colin Farrell, a friend of Taylor's, reading Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem "The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo," and Taylor's grandson Rhys Tivey performing a trumpet solo of "Amazing Grace."
Taylor died Wednesday at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where she had been receiving treatment for congestive heart failure. She was 79.
Taylor's death certificate, which was obtained by TMZ.com, listed her cause of death as cardiopulmonary arrest caused by congestive heart failure.
Being buried within 24 to 48 hours of death is a tenet of Judaism. Taylor converted to Judaism for her marriages to Mike Todd and Eddie Fisher.
In a statement released Wednesday, Taylor's publicist said that prior to her death, the Oscar-winning actress was surrounded by her children, Michael Howard Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd and Maria Burton.
In the same statement, Michael Howard Wilding, 58, memorialized his mother:
"My mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love," he said. "Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world. Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished. We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts."
