Stars pay tribute at Carradine funeral

HUNDREDS of mourners gathered to honour David Carradine at a sprawling hillside cemetery at the weekend at a funeral that was attended by family, former co-stars and other Hollywood friends.

The invitation-only services were held indoors at the Hall of Liberty at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills, a 400-acre cemetery laid out adjacent to Los Angeles’ Griffith Park.

Guests hugged outside the hall, where security ensured only invited guests gained entry. They gathered more than a week after Carradine, 72, was found hanging in a Bangkok hotel room on June 4. Thai authorities continue to investigate his death. A statement released Thursday by a private pathologist said suicide had been ruled out as a cause of death.

Carradine’s burial was private. Brothers Keith and Robert Carradine asked for privacy and understanding.

Among the hundreds of guests were numerous actors, including Michael Madsen, Jane Seymour, Tom Selleck, Frances Fisher, Daryl Hannah, Lucy Liu, Edward James Olmos, Ali Larter, James Cromwell and Rob Schneider.

Carradine is perhaps best known for his role as Kwai Chang Caine on three seasons of the 1970s hit show Kung Fu.

His role in popular culture was cemented by the time he left the show after three seasons.

He later went on to star in the cult flick Death Race 2000 and in Ingmar Bergman’s The Serpent’s Egg in 1977, but by the 1980s his career arc had moved to lower-budget fare.