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Heath Ledger - News Accounts
Aloysius J. Gleek:
Heath Ledger Mourned In Private Los Angeles Memorial
Huffington Post | January 27, 2008 09:01 AM
Heath Ledger was mourned in a private memorial Saturday in Los Angeles attended by family, friends and former girlfriends. He was found dead in New York on Tuesday. His casket was taken from New York to Los Angeles late Friday afternoon.
The New York Daily News reports:
Security guards stood at the gates of the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary as LAPD officers swept the grounds after closing hours.
Soon after, three black SUVs believed to be carrying Heath's father and other relatives as well as his ex-fiancée, the actress Michelle Williams, sped onto the grounds. They left a half hour later.
Also spotted entering the chapel where Heath's coffin lay was actress Naomi Watts, who dated the Oscar-nominated actor for nearly two years...
Two SUVs also left Williams' Brooklyn townhouse early yesterday for the airport. Several bags of luggage and a car seat used by Ledger's 2-year-old daughter with Williams were loaded into the vehicles before they whisked several people away from the Boerum Hill home.
People Magazine reports:
A memorial that drew Naomi Watts and other friends and relatives of Heath Ledger was held in Beverly Hills on Saturday night, just hours after the actor's death was marked at a New York event.
A small gathering of black-dressed mourners, including the Australian actress, was seen in the lobby of the Beverly Hills Hotel around 8 p.m. for the private event, a source said. Ledger's rep had said that no public memorial was planned for Los Angeles.
Us Magazine reports the Beverly Hills Hotel event was an intimate memorial dinner:
Around fifteen people wore black for the occasion as they reminisced about the 28-year-old actor who was found dead in Manhattan on Tuesday.
An onlooker tells Usmagazine.com, "Even though it was a sad occasion, everyone was smiling, hugging each other and holding hands. It was a really positive group."
His body is now expected to be taken to Perth by his family. Mary-Kate Olsen continues to maintain her silence over the 3 phone calls she received before 911, other than a brief statement she released on Friday. His inconclusive autopsy has toxicology results still pending.
delalluvia:
--- Quote from: jmmgallagher on January 27, 2008, 03:44:58 am ---Authorities are also annoyed at news reports that there may have been a sinister plot to remove illegal drugs from Ledger's apartment before cops and firemen arrived. There are reports out there that the masseuse called Mary-Kate Olsen and a plot was hatched to have her bodyguard remove certain drugs. Authorities tell us that's impossible, because the cops were there the entire time the bodyguard was present and there would have been no opportunity to carry out such a plan. They say it's a made up story.
--- End quote ---
Gah, who knows. We're just going to have to wait for the toxicology tests. I just got the People magazine with Heath on the cover and it's nothing but an article full of comments about Heath's "partying" and (illegal) drug use.
Meryl:
Thanks for that article, John. That's the first hard news we've had about an LA memorial service. I'll update the first post on the Developments thread.
I'm very glad that it looks like Phelps and his crew have been thwarted in their plans to picket. Thank goodness! :P
dot-matrix:
I feel certain that Jake and Maggie were at this memorial
Ledger family heading home
Sarah-Jane Collins
January 28, 2008
A PRIVATE memorial service for Heath Ledger was held in Los Angeles yesterday. The 28-year-old actor's family and friends attended the service, which took place in Beverly Hills, the website etonline reported.
And in New York, at the G'Day USA Australia Day Ball, a letter from Ledger's father was read to the 1000-strong crowd of guests inside the Waldorf Astoria hotel's grand ballroom.
"Heath is, and always will be, an Australian," wrote Kim Ledger in a message read by John Olsen, the Australian consul-general in New York. "He adored his home. His last two weeks with us over Christmas in Perth were just bliss.
"Heath did not become an actor for the fame or fortune. He loved his craft and he loved helping his friends.
"My image of Heath in New York is him with his skateboard, a canvas bag and his beanie. That was Heath to me."
The actor's death last Tuesday shook the large Australian contingent of celebrities, politicians, trade officials and entertainers who gathered at the glamour event to celebrate the end of the two-week G'Day USA festival.
Ledger's body was removed from New York's Frank E. Campbell funeral home on Saturday in a wooden crate for the long journey back to Perth. His family flew to the US to escort his body.
Ledger's memorial in LA was a private affair, open only to family and friends, including many of the stars and directors who worked with him during his 20-plus film career.
"There are no plans for a public service," Ledger's US-based publicist Mara Buxbaum said in an email to the New York Times newspaper.
That decision was made to protect the family's privacy and avoid a possible confrontation with US religious fanatics who threatened to picket any memorial service for the star because of the actor's portrayal of a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain.
In the days since his death there has been frenzied speculation over what killed the young star, after the results of autopsy on his body were inconclusive.
Reports in the British press have speculated that Ledger was heavily dependent on both prescription and illicit drugs, and had become increasingly anxious over custody arrangements for his two-year-old daughter, Matilda.
But a report on celebrity gossip site TMZ.com said sources close to the actor believed there was a real possibility his death was a result of natural causes.
"It's now appearing that the level of toxicity (from medication) in Ledger's system was low enough that it may not have caused his death," the site reported.
With AGENCIES
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/01/27/1201368944851.html
MaineWriter:
From The Age, Australia:
Hutchence's mother reaches out to Ledger family
January 28, 2008 - 10:35AM
The mother of late rock star Michael Hutchence says she has "shed tears" for Heath Ledger's daughter, who will never know her father.
Patricia Glassop has reached out to Ledger's mother Sally in an open letter to New Idea magazine, sharing the "heartbreak" of losing a son in the prime of his life.
"I wished I could pick up the phone to give you some consolation as I shed tears for your family, loved ones and Matilda," Ms Glassop said.
"I know how heartbreaking it is to see your son in a bodybag."
Ledger, 28, died in his Manhattan apartment on Tuesday, which would have been Hutchence's 48th birthday.
Hutchence died at Sydney's Ritz-Carlton hotel in November 1997, with the NSW coroner ruling he had committed suicide.
Some of those closest to him, including his brother, believe he accidentally strangled himself during a sex act.
Ledger had been tipped to play Hutchence during a biopic of the late INXS frontman.
Ms Glassop said Ledger's daughter Matilda would suffer most.
"(She), like my granddaughter Tiger Lily, will never know her father ... it breaks my heart to think about her watching his films, like Tiger watches Michael's clips," she said.
The cause of Ledger's death remains unclear, with authorities awaiting toxicology results to determine whether he may have suffered a drug overdose.
His body was removed from New York's Frank E Campbell funeral home yesterday in a wooden crate for the long journey home to Perth, where he will be farewelled by family and friends.
AAP
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/01/28/1201368992658.html
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