Heath Ledger's Body Flown to L.A.

Ledger's body flown to Los Angeles, where friends pay respects; headed home to Australia

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Heath Ledger's body was taken to a celebrity mortuary in Los Angeles where family members and friends paid their respects, according to a report published Sunday.

The "Brokeback Mountain" actor's body was at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary on Saturday, where it was taken en route to Ledger's native Australia, the New York Daily News reported.

A call to the mortuary was not immediately returned early Sunday. The arrangements were to be private, according to Ledger's publicist.

Ledger, 28, died Tuesday in his New York apartment. His body was moved from a police-barricaded funeral home in Manhattan amid a swarm of cameras and reporters Friday afternoon.

Several people were seen entering the chapel where Ledger's coffin lay, including the actor's former girlfriend, Naomi Watts, the paper reported. The Daily News and www.etonline.com said members of Ledger's family also visited the mortuary.

The cause of death will not be known for at least several more days, after medical examiners complete toxicology tests. Authorities suspect a possible drug overdose. Several prescription drugs were found in the Manhattan apartment where Ledger's body was found.

AP-ES-01-27-08 0912EST