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Family feud erupts over Heath Ledger's will after daughter Matilda is left out
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10 March 2008
It emerged this weekend that Heath's will had not been updated since 2003 meaning lover Michelle Williams and their two-year-old daughter Matilda Rose were never included.
And Ledger's uncles spoke out about their fears that neither Matilda, nor Michelle would get a share of the estate because the Brokeback Mountain star left all his money to his parents and sisters.
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Left out: Heath Ledger's 2003 will was not updated to include his daughter Matilda, and his uncles, who are estranged from the actor's father Kim, have spoken out to say they fear that the money will not be distributed properly
The two uncles, Mike and Haydn Ledger, said Matilda was not included in the will because it was written before her birth and not updated.
"I'm concerned for Matilda," said one of the uncles, Hadyn Ledger. "I have concerns about the distribution of funds."
But the actor's father Kim Ledger dismissed those claims insisting Heath's ex-fiance, actress Michelle and daughter, would be well looked after no matter what legal papers instructed.
"Matilda is our absolute priority and Michelle is an integral part of our family," Kim Ledger said in a statement.
"They will be taken care of and that's how Heath would want it to be."
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Feud: Heath Ledger's father has called on his estranged siblings to stop discussing the dead actor's will and in a statement insisted that both Michelle and Matilda would be looked after
Heath tragically died of an accidental drug overdose on January 22, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications.
His father Kim, who was in Los Angeles, called on his siblings not to air the family's dirty laundry in public.
"It is sad at this extremely difficult time in our lives, while we are grieving the loss of our beloved son that estranged family members publicly discuss matters they have not been privy to in the past or now," he said.
"We hope for Matilda's sake they will remain dignified."
Ledger's will - filed in Australia in April 2003, before Williams and before his Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain - left everything he owned to his parents and sister.
A series of documents filed in Manhattan Surrogate's Court revealed that the actor had less than $145,000 in New York assets at the time, including a $25,000 Toyota Prius and $20,000 in furniture and fixtures.
There was no mention of his bigger assets, including trust funds, Australian properties and the beautiful Brooklyn townhouse he once shared with Williams Ledger's spokesperson also quickly squashed any speculation that Williams and 2-year-old Matilda would not be provided for.
"The story is getting taken out of context and media is speculating that this means Matilda and Michelle will not be taken care of," the spokesperson said.
"I want to make it very clear nothing could be farther from the truth."
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Ledger's last film, a fantasy directed by former Python Terry Gilliam, is to go ahead with Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law sharing duties as the late actor's replacements.
Ledger was part-way through completing The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus with Gilliam when he died from a lethal mixture of prescription drugs in New York on January 22.
Gilliam said in a statement: "I am grateful to Johnny, Colin and Jude for coming on board and to everyone else who has made it possible for us to finish the film."
The film's producers said that they had the blessing of Ledger's family to go ahead with the project. Filming has resumed in Vancouver, Canada, and the movie is likely to be released early next year.
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