People surrounding the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home, where
Heath Ledger's body was being held for a private viewing on January
25, was a mass of photographers, police officers, satellite trucks
and confused-looking passersby.
Many of them were hoping to catch a glimpse of Heath Ledger's
parents, who had reportedly flown in from their native Australia to
view the body of their son, who died on Tuesday.
The transport casket for
actor Heath Ledger is loaded into a hearse outside the Frank E.
Campbell funeral home in New York, Jan. 25, 2008. New York City's
medical examiner conducted an autopsy on Ledger on Wednesday and
said a cause of death for the film star would be determined in 10
days to two weeks. Ledger, 28, was found on Tuesday face down and
naked at the foot of his bed with sleeping pills and other
prescription medication nearby, police said, in a death that
shocked his family, fans and Hollywood.(photo:
Xinhua/Reuters)
Every black sedan that pulled up to the building was greeted
with the pop of flashbulbs and a rush of paparazzo, but Ledger's
parents were not seen (there were other viewings taking place at
the home).
At about 4 p.m., a large pine casket was carried from the
funeral home's side entrance by several attendants, and placed into
a waiting hearse.
According to MTV news, NYPD officers said that the casket
contained Ledger's body, but would not confirm where the hearse was
heading. According to several reports, its destination was an area
airport, where the actor's body would then be flown back to his
hometown of Perth, Australia.
Downtown, outside the apartment building where Ledger died, a
much calmer scene was taking place on Friday afternoon.
A makeshift memorial is
seen in front of 421 Broome Street in New York, NY, where actor
Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment Jan. 23,
2008.
Outside, flowers, candles, and handmade tributes blanketed the
sidewalk as mourners paid their respects and passersby stopped to
observe the makeshift memorial.
A crowd of media and other
bystanders gather in front of 421 Broome Street in New York Jan.
22, 2008, where actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his
apartment.?
A couple of blocks away from the building is a Caribbean
restaurant called the Brawta Caribbean Café. Restaurant owner
Jennifer Ewers said Ledger was a regular. Ledger would sit at a
table near the window, where he enjoyed his usual order of jerk
chicken, rice and peas, and steamed cabbage. Ewers said he also
would order Sorrel, a red-colored drink with medicinal properties
that Ledger had grown to like after a waitress had recommended it.
Ledger and his two-year-old daughter used to play hide-and-seek
outside the restaurant.
"He was always pleasant, always smiling," Ewers said. "He would
walk down the street like a normal person. He was just a guy in the
neighborhood."
(Agencies via Xinhua January 28, 2008)
