Heath Ledger is set to be buried in his home town of Perth, Australia. The actor’s body was transported today from the New York medical examiner’s office, where an autopsy was performed this morning, to the Frank E. Campbell funeral chapel.
A source at the funeral home tells PageSix.com that they are preparing to ship Heath’s body as soon as possible. Although the actor’s family is still believed to be in Australia, his ex-fiancee, Michelle Williams, who is also the mother of his child, was flying into New York from Sweden today.
Michelle Lee, a rep for the Australian consulate, told PageSix.com, “Our consulate has been in contact with his family and has offered assistance” to help fly Heath’s body back to Australia.
The Frank E. Campbell funeral chapel has been the final stop for many of the world’s most famous names including Jackie Kennedy Onassis, John Lennon, Judy Garland and Luther Vandross.
The Australian newspaper is reporting that Heath’s father, Kim, will be attending an event in Los Angeles at the end of the week with Aussie model Gemma Ward, the woman last romantically linked to Heath. It’s believed the event will be a memorial service for the star. Gemma’s mother, Claire, told the newspaper that her daughter is currently in New York.
Meanwhile, the 20-year-old’s sister, Sophie (who’s also a model), told the West Australian newspaper that Heath had sworn off alcohol at Christmastime amid a bout of anxiety over being unable to see his daughter Matilda, 2.
Sophie says that Heath was distressed over his split with Michelle Williams and being away from Matilda. He was “quite upset because he couldn’t see his daughter as much as he’d like to,” she said. “He was traveling so much and I think he was just frustrated with it all.”
