Following the instructions left by the legendary actress, Elizabeth Taylor has been laid to rest Thursday afternoon at Forest Lawn Memorial Parks & Mortuaries in Glendale, Calif.The funeral services took place less than 48 hours after she died of congestive heart failure at a Los Angeles hospital. She was 79.

"Elizabeth Taylor was laid to rest this afternoon at a small private funeral service attended by family and close friends in The Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn-Glendale,” the movie icon’s representative was quoted as saying in a statement sent to Access Hollywood.

The rep’s statement also explained the schedule of the funeral services that took place Thursday afternoon.

It said, “The service was scheduled to begin at 2 PM but at Miss Taylor's request started late. Miss Taylor had left instructions that it was to begin at least 15 minutes later than publicly scheduled, with the announcement, 'She even wanted to be late for her own funeral’. ”

The scheduled burial and the funeral services were unanticipated following the actress’s death early morning Wednesday. But citing a report by People magazine, an earlier article by IBTimes explained that the unexpected announcement of Taylor’s rapid burial is a result of her conversion to Judaism and the decision was made in honor of her religion.[Click here for the full report].

The funeral ceremony was attended by Elizabeth Taylor’s family and close friends.

The services was officiated by a Rabbi Jerry Cutler. Access Hollywood added that Colin Farrell read the poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins, titled “The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo”. Taylor’s rep described the "Phonebooth" actor as a ‘close friend’ of the “Butterfield 8” actress.

PHOTOS: View photos of Elizabeth Taylor and her friends.

Quoting the actress’s rep, Access Hollywood said that the actress’s children had also read other selections at the funeral. Taylor’s rep added that Liz’s son Michael Wilding, her grandson Tarquin Wilding and her daughter Liza Burton Tivey had all delivered their chosen selections to read at the funeral services.

Rhys Tivey, Liz’s grandson, was described by the rep to have had performed a ‘moving’ trumphet solo of “Amazing Grace”.

PHOTOS: View photos of Elizabeth Taylor and the men in her life.

The statement from Liz’s rep also described the actress’s casket which was noted as closed during the service but was draped with her favorite gardenias, violets and lily of the valley.

The statement concluded, said Access Hollywood, with a description of where the actress was laid to rest, saying that the movie icon, Elizabeth Taylor was interred at the Great Mausoleum and is now housed and ‘sheltered beneath a soaring marble Michelangelo angel’.

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