Farrah Fawcett is laid to rest by family

Friends and family have said a final farewell to Farrah Fawcett at a private funeral in Los Angeles.

The actress's flower-covered coffin was met by her long-time partner Ryan O'Neal (pictured) at the gates of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown LA.

O'Neal accompanied the casket on its short journey into the church, where he joined friends and family, including former Charlie's Angel co-star Kate Jackson, who had gathered for the Roman Catholic ceremony.

Her son Redmond - currently serving a conviction for drugs offences - was also thought to have attended under supervision.

Both he and his father Ryan were down to give readings during the service, which started with a recital of the James Joyce poem At That Hour.

Fawcett died, aged 62, in her hospital bed last Thursday, with O'Neal at her side.

Announcing the death, he said: "Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world."

The star's battle against cancer had been the focus of a moving documentary released just weeks before her death.

Born in Texas in 1947, the actress rose to fame in the 1970s through the highly successful Charlie's Angels. Fawcett played the role of Jill Munroe in the detective series, winning a People's Choice Award in the process.

She also won female fans as a result of her hairstyle, copied by thousands in the Seventies.

Her career post-Charlie's Angels included a performance as a battered wife in the TV movie The Burning Bed, a role for which she received an Emmy Award nomination. She also received a Golden Globe nomination for the movie version of the controversial off-Broadway play Extremities.