Actress Jacki Weaver has broken her silence to pay an emotional tribute to her former husband Derryn Hinch, at farewelled at a state funeral on Monday.<\/p>\n
Hinch \u2013 known as the Human Headline \u2013 died on Friday, July 10, aged 82. <\/p>\n
Weaver, who was Hinch\u2019s third wife between 1983 and 1998, revealed she was still in contact with her ex-husband before his death.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe texted me the night that he died,\u201d she said via videolink. <\/p>\n
With tears in her eyes, the actress said she would love Hinch \u201cforever\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoodbye. I love you, I have loved you from the very start to the very end,\u201d she said through tears. <\/p>\n
\u201cGood night, sweet dreams. Good night. I love you.\u201d <\/p>\n
The actress, who was unable to attend the funeral due to scheduling issues, read a letter from her son, Dylan.<\/p>\n
In the letter, he said he could not recall where the actress met Hinch. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut I do recall that mum\u2019s first impression of Derryn was, \u2018bumptious\u2019,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat became a running joke throughout their marriage.\u201d <\/p>\n
She said one of the most \u201chumble moments Hinch spent with her son was before his transplant.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe and I were discussing his drinking and what it had led to. Inspired by the clarity of sobriety, his epiphany to me was simply \u2018I was a f**king idiot\u2019,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
An Australian flag was placed over the New Zeealand-born Hinch\u2019s coffin, a bouquet of red roses spilling over the top of the casket.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Australians, (Hinch) was a leader, he asked the difficult questions, he was a relentless fighter and he was the voice for those who didn\u2019t have one,\u201d Mr James said. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo his friends and family, he was extremely kind-hearted. He was funny, he was generous and simply had the best stories and enjoyed life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr James described the broadcaster as a \u201ctop man\u201d who acted as his mentor. <\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my best mates, my early morning companion every day and one of the greatest gifts I have been given, quite frankly,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Derryn\u2019s goddaughter Ellie O\u2019Connell, who the broadcaster was \u201cextremely proud of\u201d, performed Advance Australia Fair.<\/p>\n
Hinch\u2019s legacy won\u2019t \u2018fade\u2019<\/p>\n
Labor MP Danny Pearson said Hinch would be remembered for his charity work and being \u201cone of the country\u2019s most recognisable figures and voices\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cDerryn would always stand up for what he thought was right, no matter what. He was authentic, relentless, direct and compassionate,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe never shied away from a fight, and in so doing gave a voice to those who couldn\u2019t speak for themselves.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mr Pearson said while the \u201cheadlines might fade, but his legacy will not\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will remember his causes, and his courage. And the lesson to never stop trying,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cDerryn tried, but he did more than that. He challenged us. And he left his mark. His signature sign off was, \u2018That\u2019s life.\u2019 His will be remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood, funny, bad, controversial\u201d<\/p>\n
Former broadcaster and announcer Craig Willis spoke on behalf of Hinch\u2019s brother, Des.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brother had two prized possessions \u2013 a kaleidoscope and a crystal radio,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut his happiest time was, when atmospheric conditions allowed, he could listen, totally rapt what seemed hours, to Australian radio stations.\u201d <\/p>\n
He encouraged attendees to \u201cthink of at least one special memory\u201d of the late broadcaster and politician. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf we could all gather those memories together, they would feel that bedroom \u2013 fill bedroom from our youth,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou could look at them to a kaleidoscope and with each twist of the tube, you as the observer will see the colourful, constantly changing, multifaceted mosaic that was his life.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mr Wilis said in his four-decade friendship with Hinch, the pair \u201cnever had a cross word\u201d.<\/p>\n
Longstanding Network Ten Melbourne director Dermot O\u2019Brien told the attendees they would all have stories about Hinch.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood, funny, bad, controversial,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAfter all, Derryn\u2019s life and career was a very rich and fertile source of outlandish stories and legends. A life crowded with incident.\u201d <\/p>\n
He said Hinch was \u201caddicted to three things\u201d in his life: \u201cnotoriety via the media, women and alcohol\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mr O\u2019Brien said Hinch was a \u201cfierce crusader right through his radio and television career\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know he hated child sex offenders, he hated the organisations that shielded them, and moved them around to hide them,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe did not trust politicians, despite eventually becoming one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Never be another like him\u2019
3AW colleague Tony Tardio, who completed 79 podcasts with Hinch, said the former broadcaster lived \u201cquite a remarkable life\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cForrest Gump had nothing on Derryn Nigel Hinch,\u201d Mr Tardio said, referring to Hinch being at many history-making moments. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere will never be another like him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Tardio recalled Hinch\u2019s long and winding career, interviewing the Dalai Lama, Bob Hope, Sophia Lauren, Walter Cronkite, Jack Lemmon, John Wayne, Alfred Hitchcock and Harrison Ford. <\/p>\n
One particular interview with Bette Midler triggered laughter from the audience. <\/p>\n
\u201cDerryn always said, the only thing history owes the dead is the truth. Well, here it goes,\u201d Mr Tardio said. <\/p>\n
\u201cDerryn and Bette Midler engaged in a bit of horizontal rumba after that interview. And that is the truth.\u201d <\/p>\n
He said the broadcaster and politician was a \u201cjournalistic James Bond\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrama followed him everywhere,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a life privilege to call you a friend.\u201d <\/p>\n
One of Hinch\u2019s former flames, actor and animal activist Lynda Stoner, was one of the early arrivals on Monday morning.<\/p>\n
Among other famous mourners was singer and dancer Rhonda Burchmore, talk show host and comedian Steve Vizard, Perfect Match host Greg Evans and singer and 3AW colleague Denis Walter.<\/p>\n
Ms Burchmore was dressed in a velvet blazer as she sang They Can\u2019t Take That Away From Me in the former broadcaster\u2019s memory. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe was an absolute supporter of my career, and the arts,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe recalled his love for musical theatre, particularly during their time on stage at the Rocky Horror Show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is one of my very fond memories of Derryn.\u201d <\/p>\n
Singer Nikki Nicholls stood beside Hinch\u2019s casket as she performed a rendition of You Are So Beautiful.<\/p>\n
\u2018Nothing subtle about Hinch\u2019<\/p>\n
Another former colleague and broadcast personality Ray Martin said Hinch was \u201cmore controversial than contrarian\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was born with a megaphone for a voice and his typewriter was just about as loud,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was nothing subtle about Hinch, or his endless opinions.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was brave and brash, with an ego that could light up a small city. But he was also very likeable, and I liked him a lot.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mr Martin recalled Hinch\u2019s tenacity and love for chasing a story. <\/p>\n
\u201cHinch was the best tabloid reporter I ever met,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe had a great nose for a story. He wrote quickly, colourfully and well. He was certainly never boring.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mr Nartin ordered the room onto their feet as they gave the broadcaster one last standing ovation. <\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s give it to Hinch, as we say this last goodbye,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cGot his wish\u201d<\/p>\n
In a post on his Facebook page announcing his death, his executive assistant Annette wrote Hinch \u201cgot his wish and passed away in his own bed\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo every one of his online friends and followers he loved the interaction and looked forward to every post. As he would say, \u2018That\u2019s Life\u2019,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n
Just two days before his death, Hinch posted a picture of himself as a young reporter.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing through my old files, I still think this is my best ever pic as a cocky young Police Rounds reporter on the Sydney Sun,\u201d he posted on July 8.<\/p>\n
After a successful career in media \u2013 including a three-decade stint on Melbourne station 3AW \u2013 Hinch turned his hand to politics.<\/p>\n
He formed his own party, the Derryn Hinch Justice Party, and was elected to the Australian senate in 2016, which he held for three years.<\/p>\n
Anthony Albanese led the tributes for Hinch, saying he \u201clived a life rich in colour and free from fear\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an interviewer, investigator and presenter he was much more than \u2018the Human Headline\u2019 he had a sense of the deeper story and the courage to cover it, come what may,\u201d the Prime Minister said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe held to those same instincts as a Senator and he fought illness with that same bravery.\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Actress Jacki Weaver has broken her silence to pay an emotional tribute to her former husband Derryn 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