Cate
Blanchett Gives Eulogy to Heath Ledger at Memorial Service
2/11/08
Actress Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger's parents paid tribute to the
late actor with moving eulogies at a memorial service in his hometown of
Perth, Australia on Saturday (09Feb08).
More than 600 family members, friends and fans gathered to bid farewell
to the Brokeback Mountain star, where his I'm Not There co-star Blanchett
gave a funny and touching eulogy about their time spent together.
Mourners watched a photo montage dedicated to Ledger's family and
daughter Matilda, his two-year-old with former fiancé Michelle Williams.
The actress was in attendance but did not bring Matilda to the service at
Penrhos College, a private girls' school.
Ledger's father Kim addressed the media earlier in the day to ask for
privacy as the family attended a private funeral service at Fremantle
Cemetery, where the body was cremated.
He told 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.
"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 (08),
aged just 28. Toxicology results released on Wednesday (06Feb08) revealed
he was killed by an accidental overdose of prescribed medication.