Dow Jones was formally laid to rest on Thursday after shareholders approved the $5bn sale of the 125-year-old company and its flagship Wall Street Journal to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

The vote, which was considered a formality, was approved by 60.2 per cent of Dow Jones’ total voting power, according to the company. The results were announced at a final annual meeting that featured the sadness and laughter of a wake, and reunited long-time shareholders, top Journal editors and members of the Bancroft family that controlled the group for more than a century.