Science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke wanted to be remembered as someone who "never grew up and did not stop growing," his adopted family said at his funeral today.
Mr Clarke was buried in a brief, secular funeral according to his wishes at the general cemetery in Colombo, the capital of his adopted country, Sri Lanka.
The Ekanayake family, with whom the British author lived in the final decades of his life, cried as his coffin was lowered into the grave.
His brother, Fred Clarke, and other family members were among the mourners.
Some fans and followers also sprinkled soil into the grave.
Music from the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Odyssey was played at the funeral and at Mr Clarke's home before the ceremony. Mr Clarke co-wrote the film's original screenplay with director Stanley Kubrick.
Tamara Ekanayake, the daughter of Mr Clarke's business partner and long-time friend Hector Ekanayake, made a brief speech at their home before the funeral procession began.
She said Mr Clarke's gravestone would be engraved according to his wishes: "Here lies Arthur C Clarke. He never grew up and did not stop growing."
Born in western England on December 16, 1917, Mr Clarke earlier served in the Royal Air Force during World War II before moving to Sri Lanka in 1956.
He died on Wednesday in a Colombo hospital after suffering breathing problems at the age of 90.
