'Secret funeral' for Heath Ledger

By Nick Squires in Sydney

Actor Heath Ledger will be laid to rest in Australia this week but details of his funeral remain shrouded in secrecy.

stern Australia, with the possibility that his funeral will be held in the chapel of his former grammar school. The dead star was honoured by fellow actors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards But his parents, Kim and Sally Ledger, are desperately hoping they will be able to keep the occasion an intimate family affair, despite worldwide media interest in the mystery surrounding their son’s death. "Kim will be bringing Heath home, but in terms of memorial services, it's up to Kim and Sally,'' his uncle, Mike Ledger, told Australian reporters. "We know the chapel at Guildford (Grammar School) is available if Kim wants it. “But they may even keep it very private. We may not even go to the funeral ourselves.'' Mr Ledger said the award-winning actor would never have taken his own life. “We know he would never have done anything like that on purpose. It was just a tragic mixture. We're sure it will all come out in the (autopsy) report.” The Brokeback Mountain star was found dead last Tuesday in his Manhattan apartment, surrounded by prescription drugs, including sleeping pills. An autopsy the following day failed to find a cause of death. His family has insisted that he would not have committed suicide. It will take at least a week for the results of toxicology tests to be known, although it has been reported that police think he may have died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. There is also speculation he could have died of natural causes, such as a heart attack, despite being only 28. The Australian star was honoured by fellow actors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles. Ledger was nominated for two SAG Awards in 2005 for his performance in Brokeback Mountain. During the awards show, religious protesters gathered across the street from the Shrine Auditorium, carrying signs that read “Heath’s in Hell”, a reference to his sensitive portrayal of a repressed gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain. His family held a private memorial service at a chapel in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held amid tight security and attended by his parents, his sister Kate, ex-fiancee Michelle Williams, his two-year-old daughter Matilda, actress and former girlfriend Naomi Watts and 10 other close family and friends. After the 30 minute service, the group moved on to the Beverly Hills Hotel for an intimate dinner in a private room, reports said. Ledger’s family and Williams are thought to be on their way back to Australia to attend his funeral.