Funeral held for British broadcaster David Frost

LONDON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A funeral service for British broadcaster David Frost was held Thursday at the Holy Trinity Church in Nuffield, Oxfordshire, the BBC reported.

Frost died of a heart attack while on board a cruise ship Sept. 1. He was 74.

Among the mourners at his private funeral were chat show host Michael Parkinson, comedian Ronnie Corbett and author-comedian Stephen Fry, the BBC said.

A public memorial service is expected to be held at a later date, the report said.

The BBC quoted a close Frost friend, who did not want to be named, as saying: "It was such a sudden death. For friends... and family it was a very difficult time. The ceremony was a very touching and upsetting event."

Fry posted on Twitter a message praising Frost after the service.

"David Frost's funeral -- so sad," Fry wrote. "He was a wonderful father, husband and friend. The only people who didn't like him hadn't met him."

Frost was best known in the United States for his series of interviews with President Richard Nixon, which were later immortalized on stage and film by writer Peter Morgan in "Frost/Nixon."