Heath Ledger’s father thanked fans for their support prior to attending his son’s private memorial service in his Australian home town today.

Kim Ledger spoke of his continued grief outside his home in Perth, but added his family have taken support from the massive public response to his son’s accidental death last month.

"It's a pretty sad time and we are finding it difficult to cope by ourselves, let alone cope with everybody around the world,” he told reporters, according to Reuters.

"Having said that, we do really appreciate the outpouring and the emotional support from all over the world.”

Ledger’s former partner Michelle Williams attended the service, where fellow Hollywood star Cate Blanchett gave a eulogy, but her two-year-old daughter with Heath did not join her.

The Brokeback Mountain star, who was 28 when he died of an accidental overdose of a cocktail of prescription drugs in his New York apartment on the 22 of January, was then cremated at a private funeral service following the 90 minute memorial.