Heath's family and fiancee mourn him in bizarre beach party

The bizarre spectacle of guests messing about on the beach where Ledger had loved to surf came at the close of a moving and private ceremony in tribute to the actor.

More than 750 friends and family had come to a solemn memorial to pay their respects to the quiet and private Hollywood actor in his home town of Perth, in Western Australia.

But by the end of the difficult day, guests, including former fiancée Michelle Williams, were letting off steam frolicking in the warm waters of a Perth beach.

Scroll down for more...

Although disliking the limelight of the red carpet Hollywood lifestyle, Heath's funeral was a star-studded event.

Among the guests was Cate Blanchett who starred with Ledger in the Bob Dylan movie I'm Not There.

She was one of many who made emotional tributes to the actor.

Ledger's former fiancée Michelle Williams wore dark sunglasses and clung tightly to the hand of Ledger's sister Kate as they walked into the ceremony, held on a school playing field in Perth suburb Como.

The US-born actress, 27 met Ledger when she played his wife in Brokeback Mountain.

For his funeral, she chose not to wear the traditional black mourning dress, opting instead for a cream summer dress with black trim and later was laughing and messing around in the sea.

Ledger's grief-stricken parents arrived at the service after Michelle - mother Sally Ledger Bell, with her husband Roger Bell, then father Kim Ledger and his wife Ines.

Ledger, 28, was found dead 17 days ago in his New York flat. He had died accidentally as a result of mixing several prescription drugs, according to the coroner's report.

At the service, sister Kate spoke of the bond she and he had shared, saying her brother would ring her three or four times a day.

Scroll down for more...

Even at the height of his fame he never forgot his friends, she said.

Other mourners including model Gemma Ward, Tom Cruise's Cocktail co-star Bryan Brown and 28 Weeks Later actress Rose Byrne.

The eulogies were accompanied by Ledger's favourite music and clips from his films.

Musician Ben Harper performed Happy Ever After In Your Eyes, a song written for Ledger and Williams' daughter Matilda Rose - though the two-year-old herself was not at the service.

The 90-minute ceremony also included a video tribute to actor.

Michelle arrived at the service at 12.30pm with Ledger's family in a convoy of four black vehicles.

Scroll down for more...

"It's a pretty sad time. We're finding it difficult to cope," Ledger's father said as he arrived.

The service, which closed with The Beatles' Come Together, was followed by a cremation at Fremantle Cemetery attended by only about 10 members of his immediate family in what his father described as a "very, very private" funeral.

Finally a wake was held at a restaurant on a Perth beach where Ledger had loved to surf.