RANCHOS DE TAOS — Jack Nicholson and Val Kilmer were among the actors who mixed Wednesday in New Mexico with dozens of Dennis Hopper's relatives, friends and Taos locals to remember the two-time Oscar nominee at a memorial Mass.

Hopper's simple wooden coffin was ushered into the adobe chapel at historic San Francisco de Asis church.

Hopper, who was twice nominated for Oscars and earned a star this year on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, died Saturday at age 74 at his home in Venice, Calif. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009.

Nicholson, cast alongside Hopper in Easy Rider as a drunken young lawyer in a breakout role, described Hopper as "an all-around guy."

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

The church's bells chimed as Hopper's casket was brought into the chapel and again as it was taken out after the two-hour service. The rumbles of about half a dozen motorcycles could be heard in the distance as the casket was taken away in a funeral procession.

A private burial was to follow.

Hopper first came to New Mexico in 1969 to scout locations for the iconic Easy Rider. He lived in Taos for 12 years through the early 1980s.

Mourners who poured out of the chapel after the service described it as "lovely," "tender" and "beautiful," without mention of Hollywood or Hopper's public persona.

During the service, Hopper's son, Henry Lee Hopper, drew tears from many in the crowd as he read from Walt Whitman's collection of poems, Leaves of Grass. Other relatives also spoke.

Many said the celebration of Mass gave them a sense of Hopper's spirit.

Before the service, Kilmer, who lives near Pecos, said the last conversation he had with Hopper was on an airplane flight, recalling that Hopper could always make him laugh.

Jean Verheyden of Taos said he appreciated what Easy Rider did for motorcycling, putting it into "a totally different gear."

"It turned it into something that everybody wants to do," he said.

Verheyden said he first met Hopper several years ago, getting his attention with his 1948 Indian motorcycle. "He grooved on that," he said.

Taos Mayor Darren Córdova said Hopper will always be remembered as Taos' "honorary mayor."

"Last year, Mr. Hopper did us the honor of participating in our Taos Summer of Love celebration, marking the 40th anniversary of his film Easy Rider, much of it made here in Taos," Córdova wrote in an e-mail. "We are forever grateful that Mr. Hopper shared his life and legacy with us."

Ramona Tafoya said she knew Hopper well in the mid-1970s, when she and her husband were caretakers at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House. "He was crazy back in those days," she said. "He's a dear friend."

Tafoya said she has many stories about Hopper, though not all publishable. One day she was taking a walk in a field when she found a turquoise ring on the ground; it fit her finger, so she wore it around for a couple of weeks. However, Tafoya wore it to the Mabel Dodge Luhan House and learned that it had belonged to Hopper's then-wife Daria Halprin — Halprin had thrown it into the field after she and Hopper had a fight — so Tafoya gave it back.

She said the fit with Taos was a natural one for Hopper. "He loved art," she said. "His house was full of art. I think that was a big, big draw for him."

Artist Ron Cooper, who was featured in last year's "Hopper at the Harwood" exhibit in Taos, said he last saw Hopper in April.

"His eyes were really clear. His humor was great," he said. "He was a great friend. He was a really cool man."

Cooper said Hopper told him how much he loved Taos and wanted to come back.

Matthew van Buren of The Taos News contributed to this report.




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