Stars turn out for Dennis Hopper funeral

Actors Jack Nicholson and Val Kilmer joined fellow mourners to pay their respects at Dennis Hopper's funeral.

The Oscar-nominated actor, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009, died on Saturday at the age of 74.

Nicholson, who appeared with Hopper in Easy Rider, said: "It was a very singular relationship I had with him, like nobody else. We were soul mates in a way. I really miss him."

A private burial took place after the two hour service in New Mexico.

Mourners who attended the ceremony at the historic San Francisco de Asis church in Ranchos De Taos described it as" lovely", "tender" and "beautiful".

Hopper's son Henry Lee read from Walt Whitman's collection of poems, Leaves of Grass, during the service.

Speaking afterwards to the Associated Press, he said: "You find something that you believe in and you really realise you've got to fight for it. Some people fight for a minute, but there are very, very few people in this world who fight from the day they're born to the day they go out. I would say Dennis was undoubtedly one of these people."

Hopper passed away at his home in Venice, California, surrounded by friends and family.

He was last seen in public in March when he was honoured with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

The star directed the 1969 counter-culture road movie Easy Rider, which he co-wrote with and starred alongside Peter Fonda. The pair were nominated for a best screenplay Academy Award.