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Friends and family of actor Heath Ledger plunged into the ocean at sunset in celebration of his life in Perth on Saturday.
Ledger's former fiancee Michelle Williams and his sister Kate left his wake at a restaurant overlooking Perth's Cottesloe beach to join the group, who cheered and
splashed each other.
Ledger's father, Kim, watched from the balcony, giving the swimmers the thumbs up and cheering: "Hip, hip hooray!"
As the sun began to dip below the horizon the group gathered on the sand around Williams and Ledger's sister, Kate. They held hands and cheered as one shouted, "The sun goes down on our love, but it will never go down on our Heathy."
Just 10 close family members attended the private funeral of Australian actor Heath Ledger in Perth yesterday.
Earlier in the day his former partner Michelle Williams was supported by Ledger's sister Kate as she arrived for a more public memorial service.
Williams, wearing a cream dress with black edging, and the family were the last to arrive ahead of the service for more than 500 mourners at Uniting Church girls' school Penrhos College in Como, south of Perth.
Williams did not take her daughter with Ledger, 2-year-old Matilda, to the service, which was followed by the private funeral.
Australian model Gemma Ward, actors Bryan Brown, Cate Blanchett and Noni Hazelhurst and footballer Ben Cousins were among the celebrities who arrived to farewell Ledger.
Local politicians were also among the mourners.
Ledger's father Kim Ledger told journalists the family was grateful for the support it had had from all over the world but wanted to grieve in private.
"I know that a lot of you have travelled from all around the world to take footage of as much as you can of our ceremony for Heath," Ledger told reporters before leaving for the family service.
"... I just ask you if you wouldn't mind to respect our privacy.
"The funeral will be very private. There will only be 10 people there, immediate family and nobody else."
Ledger said the family appreciated the outpouring of grief from around the world.
"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 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, 28, an Oscar nominee in 2006 for Brokeback Mountain, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on January 22.
