PHOTO: Ashton Kutcher Films His First <em>Two and a Half Men</em>

By Stephen M. Silverman

Update Saturday August 06, 2011 04:00 PM EDT Originally posted Saturday August 06, 2011 10:30 AM EDT

Ashton Kutcher (right) and his Two and a Half Men castmates at the Aug. 5 taping

Adam Rose/CBS

Goodbye, Charlie. Hello, Ashton.

In a last goodbye, Friday night brought the taping of the funeral of Charlie Sheen's character Charlie Harper on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, according to reports from the closed set.

Also there to appear in the season premiere: Ashton Kutcher, who is joining the cast. In the show's readjusted storyline, Charlie's Malibu bachelor pad is being bought by broken-hearted Internet mogul Walter Schmidt, played by Kutcher.

No word yet on the cause of Harper's death, which reportedly is being kept secret by the series' creator and executive producer, Chuck Lorre.

Charlie Harper's funeral, as seen in a photo circulating the Internet, features a casket draped with the colors of the character's favorite bowling shirt.

According to TMZ.com, the staged funeral was also packed with all of Charlie's former girlfriends, as well as guest stars John Stamos – who, among others, was once rumored to be assuming Sheen's role – and Jenny McCarthy.

Sheen and the program bitterly parted ways in March of this year, amid outbursts by the star, both in radio and TV interviews and in live stage presentations.

Now entering its ninth season on CBS, Two and a Half Men also stars Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones. Sheen, meanwhile, has been announced to star in a new show, Anger Management.

View the original article here