George Harrison's ashes are to be cast into the River Ganges - the spiritual heart of the former Beatle's beloved India.
It is believed he was cremated and bade farewell by his wife and son in a Hare Krishna style funeral at the Los Angeles home of his security chief and close friend, Gavin de Becker.
The ceremony for Harrison, a long time Hare Krishna devotee, went ahead before sunset, as per his religious belief.
At least some of his ashes will be taken to India and, in the Hindu tradition, thrown into the Ganges in a symbolic gesture to open Harrison's reincarnated next life.
Harrison believed that Lord Krishna (a high Hindu deity) was part of him and had been since a previous life.
His second wife, Olivia, who is of Mexican ancestry and his son Dhani, 23, were at his bedside as he died at Mr de Becker's home.
The Queen yesterday led a worldwide tide of grief for Harrison, who died on Friday as his family chanted Hindu mantras around his deathbed.
In an unprecedented royal contribution, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen was "deeply saddened" by the news of Harrison's death from cancer.
Flags flew at half mast in his native Liverpool.
But that was only part of a worldwide tribute to the man who was known as the quiet Beatle, but who for 30 years had been the spiritual, mystical Beatle.
Fellow musicians, led by Sir Paul McCartney, were in the forefront of mourners for Harrison. McCartney cancelled his scheduled appearance at a TV pop music awards ceremony as a mark of respect for the man he had known since they were boys.
McCartney said: "He's a really beautiful guy who I love dearly. He was a great guy, full of love for humanity."
Ringo Starr said: "We will miss George for his sense of love, his sense of music and his sense of laughter."
Yoko Ono, widow of former Beatle John Lennon, said: "His life was magical and we all felt we had shared a little bit of it by knowing him."
Peace and love were the words being used in every account of Harrison's life and death.
Olivia and Dhani said in a statment: "He left this world as he lived in it, conscious of God, fearless of death and at peace."
His last words were also widely quoted as having been: "Love one another".
These words and McCartney's description of Harrison as "my baby brother", struck chords of sympathy and respect as the tributes to Harrison came from all quarters.
The spontaneous outpourings of genuine grief in Britain surprised even Harrison's closest friends.
Two Hare Krishna friends, Shayan Sundara and Mukunda, were with Harrison when he died, intoning prayers and mantras.
Kripa Moya Das of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, said he believed Harrison had chosen a tributary of the Ganges in northern India for the dispersal of his ashes.
The Yumuna River is 65km from the Taj Mahal and close to one of Harrison's most loved places in the world.
Mr Moya Das said: "This holy river runs through his favourite retreat. He would stay there for days at a time."
"It was a place where he could worship with peace of mind, as no one knew who he was in India."
"George wanted to keep his death a private matter, just like his life."
But, it was in Liverpool that tributes had most meaning.
"The Beatles changed Liverpool from a grotty port city to a great city," said a teenager placing a wreath at the statue of the Beatles.
Liverpool is organising a memorial service and another is likely in London, where mourners went to the famous studio in North London's Abbey Road. All day, Beatles songs were played to fans.
At Buckingham Palace, the Coldstream Guards switched their musical programme to include songs written by Harrison, Lennon and McCartney at the ceremonial changing of the guards.
Yet, among all the adulation, friends of Harrison issued reminders that he had often been dismissive of his time with the Beatles, saying in 1973: "The biggest break in my career was getting into the Beatles. The second biggest break since then is getting out of them."
He also said: "Beatle George is like a suit or a shirt that I once wore on occasion and until the end of my life people may see that shirt and mistake it for me."
And, despite always maintaining friendly relations, Harrison was not impressed with McCartney's post-Beatles msuic, once explaining why he was not going to a concert by McCartney's new group, Wings: "I have seen the Beatles. Why would I want to see a man pretending to be the Beatles?"
McCartney yesterday said that Harrison was a man "who didn't suffer fools gladly", but made it clear that the two were on fond terms during his visit two weeks earlier.