Author's farewell a splendid affair

-story and pic from Sydney Morning Herald today:

Science Fiction writer Arthur C Clarke wanted to be remembered as someone who "never grew up and did not stop growing", his adopted family said at his funeral.Clarke was buried in a brief, secular funeral according to his wishes at the general cemetery in Colombo, the capital of his adopted country, Sri Lanka, on Saturday.He was laid out like a king, so everyone could say their farewells under the elephant tusks.The Ekanayake family, with whom the British author lived in the final decades of his life, cried as his coffin was lowered into the grave. His brother, Fred Clarke, and other family members were among the mourners. Some fans and followers also sprinkled soil into the grave.Music from the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Odyssey was played at the funeral and at Clarke's home before the ceremony.

Clarke co-wrote the film's original screenplay with director Stanley Kubrick.Tamara Ekanayake, the daughter of Clarke's business partner and long-time friend Hector Ekanayake, made a brief speech at their home before the funeral procession began.She said Clarke's gravestone would be engraved according to his wishes: "Here lies Arthur C. Clarke. He never grew up and did not stop growing."

Born in western England on December 16, 1917, Clarke earlier served in the Royal Air Force during World War II before moving to Sri Lanka in 1956.He died in a Colombo hospital on Wednesday after suffering breathing problems at the age of 90.

AP