The London 2012 Olympics have ended with a spectacular musical closing ceremony and the official handover to the next host city, Rio de Janeiro.
The packed show featured some of the biggest names of British pop from decades past, including the Spice Girls, George Michael and Elbow.
The official Games flag was handed to the mayor of Rio before the flame at the Olympic Stadium was extinguished.
Games chief Seb Coe said: "When our time came - Britain, we did it right."
Mr Rogge, who declared the Games of the 30th Olympiad closed, said amid cheers: "We will never forget the smiles, the kindness and the support of the wonderful volunteers, the much-needed heroes of these Games.
Flag handover The Olympic flag was handed to the mayor of Rio
"You, the spectators and the public, provided the soundtrack for these Games.
"Your enthusiastic cheers energised its competitors and brought a festive spirit to every Olympic venue."
At the close of the ceremony, watched in the stadium by the athletes and 80,000 spectators, the 204 petals of the Olympic cauldron descended to ground level and the flame was extinguished in dramatic fashion.
As spectacular fireworks went off above the stadium, the Who performed My Generation and the venue became a sea of red, white and blue.
Earlier, as part of the ceremonial handover, the Olympic flag was lowered and it was handed from London Mayor Boris Johnson to Games president Jacques Rogge.
After Mr Rogge presented the flag to the mayor of Rio Eduardo Paes, the Brazilian national anthem, rang out, and the stadium was transformed into the green and yellow colours of Brazil.
The handover was followed by a segment celebrating Rio's mix of cultures, music and dance, bringing a carnival atmosphere to the proceedings and culminating in Brazilian footballer Pele appearing on stage.
Take That then sang their hit Rule the World. It had been thought they would not appear after Gary Barlow's child was stillborn last week.
As the band performed, ballerina Darcey Bussell appeared to fly down into the arena on top of a flaming phoenix to join the performers from Rio and lead them in a procession.
Musical celebration
During the show the Spice Girls sang Spice Up Your Life from the top of five brightly lit London taxis. Other stars to perform included Liam Gallagher, George Michael and Jessie J.
Big Ben chimed at 21:00 BST to start the finale, as a spectacular cityscape in the shape of a union jack was unveiled.
Spice Girls "Girl power" reigned over the Olympic Stadium as the Spice Girls performed
Silence descended as a fanfare from the Household Division Ceremonial State Band announced the arrival of Prince Harry, who is at the ceremony in place of the Queen, and Mr Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee.
The crowd was led in a resounding version of the national anthem, and the union jack was carried into the stadium and raised by representatives of the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.There was a riot of colour as the athletes entered the stadium, with four-time Olympic gold medallist sailor Ben Ainslie carrying the British flag.
Smiling athletes filled each section of the floor of the stadium, to the sound of Elbow playing their atmospheric hit, One Day Like This.
As is traditional during the closing ceremony, the final medals of the 2012 Olympics have been handed out. On this occasion they went to the athletes in the men's marathon, which was won by Uganda's Stephen Kiprotich.
The 70,000 Games Maker volunteers were thanked for their hard work.
The voice of the late Freddie Mercury echoed around the Stadium singing Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, as part of the section of the show entitled A Symphony of British Music.
As the Stadium was plunged into dark blue light, images of David Bowie appeared on giant screens and a compilation of some of his most iconic songs were played out.
Model Kate Moss appeared wearing a shimmering Alexander McQueen creation, as billboards of some of the most iconic British models were paraded around the stadium.
The crowd were taken through a celebration of British eccentricity, with comedian Russell Brand singing Pure Imagination from Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the Beatle's I am the Walrus from the top of a psychedelic bus.
Brand was followed by DJ Fatboy Slim aka Norman Cook, who brought a party atmosphere to the proceedings.
Comedian Eric Idle performed a typically quirky version of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life and Muse rocked the stadium with the official anthem of the Games, Survival.
LONDON 2012 STATISTICS :
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Team GB won 65 medals in 16 different sports
The US topped the medal table with 46 golds - their best performance in an overseas Games
There were 44 world records and 117 Olympic records during the 16 days.
US swimmer Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time as he increased his career tally to 22 medals.
Sir Chris Hoy became the most successful British Olympian ever, adding another two golds to his previous four.
Traditionally, the closing ceremony is a chance to celebrate what the athletes have achieved, with Olympics supremo Lord Coe describing it as a time to "party, party, party".
"This is the disco at the end of a wedding," artistic director Kim Gavin said of the ceremony
The competition has been the most successful Olympics for Team GB in 104 years, with a tally of 29 golds.
The Queen said Team GB's "outstanding" performance had "inspired" the country.
It was a successful final day for Team GB, with boxer Anthony Joshua securing the 29th gold with victory after a dramatic super-heavyweight bout. The 22-year old from London beat Italian Roberto Cammarelle. Welsh fighter Fred Evans had to settle for silver in his welterweight bout against Serik Sapiyev from Kazakhstan and in the very last event of the Games, Samantha Murray came second for Britain in the women's modern pentathlon.
The Games have ended with the US topping the final medal table with 46 golds, followed by China with 38 golds. GB came third with 29 golds - their best tally since 1908.
In all, 44 world records have been set during London 2012, and 117 Olympic records broken.
Among those to have set new world bests included Kenyan David Rudisha in the men's 800m and the Jamaican sprint relay team, one of three golds during the Games for Usain Bolt.
Culled from BBC
