forest lawn hollywood hills

forest lawn hollywood hills

Bette Davis has long been buried there. So have Gene Autry, Sandra Dee, John Ritter, Freddie Prinze, Isabel Sanford and Telly Savalas.

Two weeks ago, Ed McMahon joined them. And David Carradine two weeks before him.

Now, it's the King of Pop.

Today, at 8 a.m., Michael Jackson will be laid to rest in a lavish paradise of lush green lawns and million-dollar views in the

Hollywood Hills.

The immaculate and gentle grounds of Forest Lawn Memorial Park are home to some of Tinseltown's brightest stars, who now rest in green pastures and giant marble mausoleums.

"It's one of the greenest cemeteries in Los Angeles," said author and cemetery historian Lisa Burks. "It's immaculately kept by a massive groundskeeping crew who are very good, and it's notorious for guarding the privacy of their clients."

Cemetery officials wouldn't say where Jackson would end up on the massive grounds, but there was a flurry of activity at the posh Court of Liberty in the south section yesterday, where workers pruned trees and cut hedges, and a backhoe dug a fresh grave.

Buried nearby are stars like Buster Keaton, Stan Laurel and Ritter.

The centerpiece of the court is a bronze and marble statue of George Washington by legendary American sculptor Thomas Ball.

Another possible place for Jackson is the Court of Remembrance on the cemetery's north side, home to the giant stone tombs of Sandra Dee, Liberace and Prinze.

The American history-themed cemetery is part of the elite Forest Lawn chain.

"It's a gorgeous location," said Burks. "You can see the Verdugo Hills, you can see into Burbank, and when you're standing at Bette Davis' crypt, you can see Universal Studios and Disney."

Another Jackson family member is already there - Tito Jackson's first wife, Delores (DeeDee) Martes, who was murdered in 1994.

Hollywood Hills is 10 minutes away from Forest Lawn's Glendale Cemetery, the largest of the chain's properties.

Buried on those grounds are Humphrey Bogart, George Burns, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., Walt Disney, Clark Gable and baseball legend Casey Stengel.