HOLLYWOOD (CNS) - Burt Reynolds was cremated shortly after his death on Sept. 6 at age 82 and his family is considering scattering his ashes at sea, but first he'll be honored in a private service for family and friends today at a church in Palm Beach, Florida, where he spent almost his entire life, a celebrity news website reported.
His family are also planning a huge public celebration of his life, according to Radar Online.
No dates were revealed -- either for the burial at sea or the public celebration.
Burt's high school sweetheart, Ann Scurry, 82, who remained a close friend until his death from a heart attack, told Radar Online: “It's been a very sad week. The funeral service is a small, private, affair and then the family have talked about scattering his ashes in the sea.”
Expected at the service alongside Ann are Burt's niece Nancy Lee Hess, who is executor of his estate, and his only son Quinton, with whom he had healed a rift shortly before his death after decades of feuding with former spouse Loni Anderson, Radar Online reported.
Ann, who last saw Burt less than a month before his death, described him as the love of her life.
Describing Burt's desperation in his final months, she said: “He was lonely, he used to call me all the time and at all hours of the night. One night he called me every half hour, from nine p.m. on, all through the night. We'd talk for hours, really talk.”
She added: “Burt, he was ready to go. He had become very frail and sometimes I wasn't sure if his mind was right, he'd say things that were a little funny.”
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