Monday 16 June 2008

Blanchett delivers eulogy at Ledger funeral

Actress Cate Blanchett delivered a moving eulogy at a memorial service in Perth, Australia for Heath Ledger on Saturday.
Over 600 family members, friends and fans gathered to bid farewell to the 28-year-old star, as Blanchett - who starred in 'I'm Not There' with Ledger - gave a touching eulogy about their time spent together.
Ledger's ex-partner Michelle Williams was also in attendance, but she did not bring the former couple's two-year-old daughter Matilda to the service at Penrhos College, a private girls' school.
After the service, 10 family members attended a private funeral at Fremantle Cemetery, where the body was cremated.
Mourners then gathered at a restaurant overlooking Perth's Cottesloe beach, one of Ledger's favourite spots, for a sunset wake.
Dozens of family and friends then threw off some of their clothes and ran into the water, where they hugged and cheered to celebrate Ledger's life, according to various reports.
Earlier Ledger's father Kim asked the media for privacy. He said to reporters: "It's a pretty sad time and we're finding it difficult to cope by ourselves, let alone cope with everybody around the world."
He continued: "Having said that we do really appreciate the outpouring and the emotional support from all over the world, which, suffice to say, we're luckier than most families, most families that are in our position, our grieving position, don't have that kind of support. So thank you all very much. That's all I've got to say.''
Ledger was found dead at his New York apartment on 22 January. Toxicology results released last week revealed he was killed by an accidental overdose of prescription medication.