Sheldon and Miriam Adelson
Sheldon and Miriam AdelsonHillel Maeir / TPS

Jewish American billionaire Sheldon Adelson will be laid to rest in the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem tomorrow, in accordance with his wish to be buried in Israel.

The plane carrying Adelson's body arrived in Israel Thursday evening after taking off from Los Angeles, California this morning. Close friends and family of Adelson came to see his coffin when the plane landed, including Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The funeral will be held at 12 noon tomorrow.

Adelson, 87, passed away on Tuesday from complications related to treatment for non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Adelson, the son of poor Jewish immigrants to the US, began his business career at the age of 12 when he borrowed $200 from his uncle to purchase a license to sell newspapers in Boston. He went on to start 50 businesses over the course of his career.

Adelson was a prolific philanthropist and political donor. The Adelson Family Foundation has donated $140 million to Birthright Israel since 2007. He and his wife Miriam were also among the biggest donors to US President Donald Trump's election campaign in 2016.

In 2007, Adelson launched the Yisrael Hayom newspaper, a free Hebrew Israeli daily which quickly rose to become Israel's most-read newspaper.