Brittany Murphy, who passed away very suddenly last weekend in her SoCal home, was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park here in Los Angeles last night in a twilight ceremony attended by family and close friends. The young actress was remembered as a “bright light” that touched all who knew her … a light that was taken from the world far too soon:

Brittany Murphy’s husband described how he had lost his ‘best friend and soul mate’ as the actress was laid to rest in a Christmas Eve service. Friends and family gathered at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park – the cemetery where Michael Jackson was buried – and said words could not express their devastation at the 32-year-old’s passing. Her family said in a statement ‘Brittany was an incredibly loving and passionate person and an artist to her core – she loved acting, singing, dancing, and performing.’ ‘A bright light that lit the world is forever dimmed, but will live on in the hearts of those that Brittany touched.’ The 8 Mile actress’s husband, British film director Simon Monjack, spoke about their relationship at the intimate gathering and said he had lost his best friend. Longtime family friend Alex Ben Block, who read the eulogy, said the service was ‘very nice, very respectful.’ Her close friends and her cousin also recalled their favourite memories of her. The afternoon service was presided over by a Christian minister and a rabbi presided, andguests sang ‘Amazing Grace’ at the grave site. Block said Murphy loved Christmas and that it was ironic that she was buried on Christmas Eve. Mr Block was one of the pall-bearers alongside ‘24′ actor Eric Balfour. The Clueless star died on Sunday morning after collapsing at her Los Angeles home and suffering a cardiac arrest. Her father Angelo Bertolotti was not invited to her funeral, RadarOnline.com reported. Bertolotti had been estranged from Brittany and her mother for the past eight years. He told the website he was too sad to attend even if he had been invited. ‘I just don’t want to see that happen, I just want to remember her alive,’ he said. But he added he will go and visit her grave. ‘I’ll wait about a month to go out there,’ he said.

Brittany’s sudden death is just too tragic for words. For her to pass away at such a young age, around the holidays … I cannot even imagine the pain that her family and loved ones are enduring right now. May she rest in eternal peace and may her family and friends heal quickly from this terrible loss.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

Back in early September, the late Michael Jackson was finally laid to rest at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA some 70 days after he passed away in his home back in June of this year. At the time, we saw photos from MJ’s lavish funeral service attended by family and friends but we were not made privy to his actual resting place. MJ has been interred in a private crypt that is accessible only to an approved list of visitors so up until now we were unable to see where MJ will spend his eternity. Today, tho, we get our first look at MJ’s crypt adorned by tributes and gifts left in his memory:

Gone but not forgotten! Here is the first photo of Michael Jackson’s final resting place — a regal tomb adorned with flowers, framed photos, letters and other souvenirs. The tributes were left in the crypt at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary in Glendale, Calif., by longtime Jacko pal and makeup artist Karen Faye, sources told The Post. Jackson’s family picked Forest Lawn’s Great Mausoleum section for its high security. At the mausoleum’s entrance, visitors are greeted by a huge stained-glass reproduction of da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” But to get any farther inside, they have to be on a preapproved list. Faye, who made up Jackson, 50, for his journey into eternity, has been collecting Jacko trinkets for weeks. She’s on the list of approved visitors, and she has been personally taking the tributes to the crypt herself every other week since Jackson’s funeral on Sept. 3, sources said. “She feels like she’s the friend of the fans, that she’s the only thing that can connect the fans to Michael now,” said a source close to Faye. “This is very important to her because she knows the fans loved Michael so much. She does this for them, especially those who traveled to be near Michael.”

Before these first photos were made available, we only had descriptions of MJ’s crypt to go by … now fans can have a better sense of where MJ has been laid to rest. Considering how much larger than life Michael Jackson was when he lived, I was sure he would be laid to rest in an opulent setting where legions of fans can make the pilgrimage to pay tribute to his memory. Because he did not make his wishes explicitly known before he died, his family was left with the decision on how he would be laid to rest. I honestly do not think MJ would want to be sequestered away from his fans … but this is what his family wants. I suppose it’s poetic for the King of Pop to be hidden away from his fans in such a humble setting. This way, fans can remember him in their hearts exactly the way they choose to.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

200 of the late Michael Jackson’s family and closest friends convened at the Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA last night to pay their last respects to MJ at a small funeral/burial service exactly 70 days after he passed away on June 25. For the most part, the service was fairly quiet (even tho some of it was broadcast live on TV and all of it was filmed for possible inclusion in the upcoming A&E reality TV series The Jackson Family) and provided family and friends the opportunity to say their final farewells to the King of Pop:

Michael Jackson’s family and about 200 of their closest friends gathered on a hill Thursday evening for their final farewell to the pop singer, who died 10 weeks ago. Jackson’s burial may lay to rest some of the mystery and controversy that erupted with his sudden death on June 25. His large family was divided over where the superstar’s final resting place should be, but matriarch Katherine Jackson settled on a crypt inside the well-guarded and ornate Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California. Thursday’s service began 90 minutes past the announced start time, leaving dozens of celebrities — including Elizabeth Taylor — waiting in their seats for the 26 cars carrying the Jackson clan to arrive. It began with Jackson’s five brothers — each wearing a single sequined glove — carrying his flower-covered bronze casket onto the outdoor stage among six large bouquets of white lilies and white roses, along with green topiaries. His three children, led by daughter, Paris, 11, placed a crown atop their father’s coffin, which a family spokesman said it was “to signify the final resting place of the King of Pop.” Jackson’s children, parents and siblings took their seats in the front row, while his nieces and nephews filled several rows of white chairs behind them.

After an opening prayer by Pastor Lucius Smith, soul music legend Gladys Knight sang the gospel hymn “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.” Clifton Davis sang “Never Can Say Goodbye,” a hit he wrote for The Jackson 5 — the group that featured a young Michael and his brothers. What was said by Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, and others who took the lectern is not publicly known, because the family barred news cameras from the ceremony. A family statement issued afterward said close friends and family, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, spoke “spontaneously to celebrate Michael’s life.” News helicopters hovering above captured video from a distance, but without sound. Lisa Marie Presley, one of Jackson’s former wives and the daughter of Elvis, attended the service, according to the family statement. It did not mention Debbie Rowe, Jackson’s second wife and the mother of his two oldest children. Macaulay Culkin, the “Home Alone” actor who spent time with Jackson during his Neverland Ranch days, was there with his girlfriend, actress Mila Kunis. Actors Corey Feldman and Chris Tucker were also seen arriving for the service. Motown founder Berry Gordy, who gave Jackson and his brothers their first big record deal, and Quincy Jones, who produced Jackson’s “Thriller” album, were there. Music producer Teddy Riley, who helped with Jackson’s 1991 “Dangerous” album, attended. The guest list included TV executive Suzanne de Passe, who produced a miniseries about Jackson’s family, and Kenny Ortega, who was producing Jackson’s comeback show. Thomas Mesereau, the lawyer who successfully defended Jackson in a child molestation trial, sat just behind the Jackson family. When the hour-long service ended, his brothers lifted Jackson’s casket for a final time to carry him inside the Great Mausoleum, where he was placed in his crypt at 9:43 p.m. PT (12:34 a.m. ET Friday). The family statement said it was “his final resting place.” The family and friends then drove to an Italian restaurant eight miles away, in Pasadena, California, for “a time of celebration.”

I watched most of the service as it aired live on CNN last night and found it a much more pared down service compared to the lavish service that took place at the Staples Center last July. I have to admit, I found the placing of the crown on the casket a bit odd but, that seems pretty de rigeur for any service honoring the memory of Michael Jackson. After all these weeks and months, tho, Michael Jackson is finally laid to rest … where he belongs.

[Photo credit: Getty; Source]