Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of Michael Jackson's body after the public were given a final opportunity to say goodbye to the King of Pop.

His gold-plated coffin was removed from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles yesterday after a memorial event which saw stars and Jackson's 11-year-old daughter pay emotional tributes to the late singer.

But his final resting place has not been announced by the family, with speculation ranging from a private cemetery in LA to the sprawling Neverland ranch in Santa Barbara.

A private memorial was held at Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills prior to the public memorial, but it is not thought Jackson will be buried among the other Hollywood stars interred at the graveyard.

Likewise, there is doubt over whether the family will be allowed to bury the Thriller singer at Neverland, his former home.

Permission is needed to bury people at the estate and, with poor transport links to the property, local authorities may fear the grave becoming a pilgrimage for Jackson's millions of fans worldwide.

Yesterday, followers of the singer were given the opportunity to celebrate his life and music during a star-studded public memorial.

The event, billed as the biggest celebrity send-off in history, ran at least 30 minutes longer than scheduled after Mariah Carey opened proceedings with a rendition of the Jackson Five's ballad I'll Be There, alongside Trey Lorenz.

Among those paying tribute to the late singer was Brooke Shields, who first met Jackson when she was 13. The actress broke down in tears as she remembered the singer. She described him as “pure”, adding: “He was often referred to as the King, but the Michael that I knew was always the little prince.

“Michael saw everything with his heart.”

Others speaking at the public memorial included Stevie Wonder, civil rights activist the Reverend Al Sharpton and siblings of Michael Jackson.

The emotional eulogies were capped by Jackson's daughter Paris, who outshone the stars with a tearful tribute to the “best father you could ever imagine”.

The 11-year-old, comforted by the Jackson family, sobbed as she made her public debut in front of 17,000 fans in Los Angeles — with an estimated billion more tuning in worldwide.

Standing in front of her father's coffin, she said: “Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine and I just wanted to say I love him so much.”

Paris was given the microphone after taking part in the final tribute song on stage alongside her two brothers, Prince Michael Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II (also known as Blanket).

The public memorial took place at an estimated cost of up to four million dollars (£2.5m) in security and organisational costs.

The Los Angeles city attorney's office was yesterday looking into ways of claiming back some of that money. The city is estimated to be running at a budget deficit of around $530m dollars.