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Old 02-03-2008, 09:50 AM   #1 (permalink)
Ophelia
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Joshtopia
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Default Josh attends Heath's Memorial in L.A.

HEATH Ledger's family and A-list friends gathered to pay tribute to the actor in a moving private service at a Hollywood studio.
Photos of Ledger – spanning his childhood in Perth, his most iconic big-screen roles and his time as a dad to daughter Matilda – were beamed on a large screen at the Sony Pictures lot in the 90-minute service.
Ledger, 28, was found dead in his bed on January 22 in his New York apartment from a suspected drug overdose.
His father Kim, mother Sally and sister Kate were joined by a large contingent of family, who had travelled from Australia to attend the ceremony in Culver City, alongside the actor's Hollywood friends and colleagues.
One guest said the high-security ceremony, attended by about 1000 people, included touching – and often funny – speeches from Ledger's father, longtime agent, acting coach and director Todd Haynes, who worked on Ledger's most recent release I'm Not There.
"It was a very loving tribute – emotional and loving," the guest said.
Michelle Williams absent from the service
Ledger's father made special mention of the actor's former partner Michelle Williams, who did not attend the service, and their two-year-old daughter, Matilda.
Ledger's ex-girlfriend Naomi Watts – who wore a simple black outfit, dark sunglasses and a silver cross around her neck – appeared dazed following the ceremony and was comforted by friends.
The A-list crowd included Oscar-winner Sean Penn, heart-throb Josh Hartnett and Australian actors Abbie Cornish, who starred opposite Ledger in gritty 2006 drug drama Candy, and Phone Booth star Radha Mitchell.
Gemma Ward distressed
Supermodel Gemma Ward, who was romantically linked to the actor after the pair was spotted spending time together in their hometown of Perth over Christmas, looked distressed as she was driven out of the studio gates.
The service came a week after a group of relatives and close friends, including Williams and Watts, paid tribute to the Perth-born actor at a private memorial at a small LA mortuary.
After yesterday's service, the Ledger family, who evaded waiting media by leaving through a side gate, returned to a luxurious hotel in Beverly Hills where they have been staying since flying into Los Angeles about a week ago.
They are expected to fly to Perth for Ledger's funeral – thought to be taking place this week.
The final autopsy report, which will include the cause of death and the results of toxicity tests for drugs in Ledger's system, is also expected to be released this week.
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