Michelle Dips into the Bard, Ocean for Heath
One can only imagine what it's been like for Michelle Williams the past few weeks. But on Saturday in Australia, it was all about what would have made Heath Ledger smile.
Following what turned out to be a huge memorial service in the chapel of an exclusive boarding school in Perth, Williams joined Ledger's immediate family for a private funeral service at Fremantle Cemetery and capped off the day with a sunset plunge into the Indian Ocean during an emotional wake that ultimately became a celebration of the actor's life.
Ledger's remains were cremated Saturday afternoon at Fremantle, but earlier in the day, more than 500 family members, friends, celebrities and dignitaries packed the chapel at Penrhos College for a music and memory-filled ceremony, during which Cate Blanchett delivered one of the eulogies and attendees watched several video montages honoring the Oscar-nominated actor's life and work.
Mourners exited the school to the strains of the Beatles' "Come Together."
Williams and Ledger's parents and sister left through a side door and were escorted by police to Fremantle for the service that Ledger's father Kim said would be attended by no more than 10 people.
During the service, Williams read Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, or, more popularly, "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day."
The small group then proceeded to a wake at the Indiana Tea House on Cottesloe Beach, one of Ledger's favorite spots.
At least 50 people gathered to reminisce over glasses of wine and beer before ultimately deciding that a swim would be the proper way to end the day.
Williams, clad in a cream-colored sundress with black trim and still wearing her sunglasses, eventually joined the revelers, some of whom plunged right into the ocean fully dressed, while others stripped down to their skivvies.
Friends cheered and formed a protective circle around Williams as she stepped into the water.
Kim Ledger, watching from the restaurant patio, whooped his approval as his daughter Kate dove into the ocean.
After the mass dip, friends and family gathered on the shore, arms linked, to watch the sun go down, which it finally did at about 8:15 p.m.
"The sun goes down on our love," two mourners said. "But it will never go down on Heathy."
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