Fans and colleagues mourn Smith

By CATHERINE MASTERS

The body of actor Kevin Smith is expected to be brought home towards the end of the week after his death in a Chinese hospital at the weekend.

The funeral arrangements have yet to be worked out and his body would probably not arrive before the middle of the week - at the earliest.

Smith died in hospital in Beijing early on Saturday after falling several storeys and suffering critical head injuries just over two weeks ago.

The Herald has learned that two of Smith's personal doctors had flown from New Zealand to observe his treatment, but they were not actively involved in it.

Few other details emerged yesterday of the events that led to his fall. His agent, Robert Bruce, could not be contacted and Smith's family is still understood to be keeping details of the incident private.

While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is assisting his family with funeral arrangements, it did not know yesterday when his body might be brought home.

As celebrity friends of Smith mourned his death, fans around the world have been flocking to his website to express their grief. Many want to set up a memorial or trust fund for his wife and three young children.

Many of Smith's fans left messages saying how deeply shocked they were. "I and others are thinking of setting up a trust fund for Kevin's family. Nothing is carved in stone at this point," said one.

Another fan wrote:

"I just want to say how deeply sad I am. There is no easy way to deal with death. It is ugly."

Another says to take a lesson from Smith and from his life: "Let's try to see the goodness in people and the world around us, to live our lives to the fullest, like Kevin chose to. Kevin, I miss you mate."

As Ares, the god of war in Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess, Smith gained a huge and enthusiastic following and has several websites dedicated to him.

American actor Kevin Sorbo, who played the lead in Hercules, is said to be deeply upset after New Zealander Michael Hurst, his sidekick Iolas in Hercules, broke the news to him.

Hurst was to speak about Smith in the United States when he addressed a convention of Xena fans.

On Saturday night in Auckland at the Maidment Theatre, where Smith's friends Danielle Cormack and Lucy Lawless are appearing in The Vagina Monologues, a minute's silence was observed. Cormack and Lawless were too upset to comment yesterday.

Hurst's partner, Jennifer Ward-Lealand, who acted with Smith in the film Desperate Remedies, said the whole theatre world was there to pay their respects after the loss of their mate.

"There were lots of Kevin's friends and colleagues there and for me it was the best place to be, because I think Kevin would have wanted the show to go on."

The minute's silence was intensely emotional, she said, because everyone had special memories of him.

"I mean, really, the only thing missing was Kevin."

She said Michael Hurst, a close friend, was a little better than on Saturday. He had stayed up very late Saturday night in America with people who had worked on Xena reminiscing about their times with Smith.

"Michael spoke to Kevin [Sorbo] and they both wept on the phone together. That was really good that Michael could talk to him."

Caterina de Nave, who produced Channelling Baby in which Smith starred and also cast him in Shortland Street, said he was a fantastic man and the acting world was gutted.

"A gentleman, generous, funny, very masculine without being bombastic with it. Just a terrific guy ... I never once heard a cross word."