Family feud erupts over Heath Ledger's will after daughter Matilda is left out - Showbiz - Evening Standard
       

Family feud erupts over Heath Ledger's will after daughter Matilda is left out

Heath Ledger's family has insisted the star's daughter Matilda will be well looked after - despite being left out of his will as his father called on his estranged siblings not to air the family's dirty laundry in public.

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.

Scroll down for more...

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."

Scroll down for more...

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.

Comments

Don't Miss
The Glamour Awards - stars turn on the style

Glamour Awards

Stars turn on the style
Duchess of Cambridge is pretty in pink at her first Buckingham Palace garden party

Garden party

Duchess of Cambridge is pretty in pink
FIRST review of Ridley Scott's latest sci-fi blockbuster Prometheus

First review

Is Ridley Scott's Prometheus any good?
Fair-weather goths

Fair-weather goths

The sultry shades of summer darks are coming out of the shadows
London gets ready for the Diamond Jubilee - in pictures

Diamond Jubilee

London gets ready - in pictures
Dog save the Queen: Corgis surge in popularity

Dog save the Queen

Corgis surge in popularity
'He’s a better ex than he was a husband', says Boris Johnson's ex wife

A better ex than husband

We talk to Boris Johnson's ex wife
TV Baftas - in pictures

Best of the Baftas

Stars on the red, white and blue carpet
You big softie: Has Giles Coren put down his poison pen?

You big softie

Has Giles Coren put down his poison pen?
Pop star Paloma Faith, former Labour minister and Tory blogger back gay marriage video

Gay marriage

Pop star, former Labour minister and Tory blogger back gay marriage video