OTHER NEWS





Keep you and your children safe. Find the latest Product Recalls here.




BEWARE OF THE DEADLY TOXINS IN YOUR HOME - What you don't know about many common household products

Monday, March 10, 2008

Heath Ledgers' Will has caused a split in his family - Heaths' last movie to continue production

An ugly family row has broken out over the will of Hollywood actor Heath Ledger, who died from a drug overdose in New York in January.

The late actor's father has called on his estranged brothers to stop commenting publicly on how Ledger's fortune will be divided up.

Ledger's uncles have claimed that his two-year-old daughter, Matilda, and her mother, actress Michelle Williams, 27, will not get a share of the estate because the Brokeback Mountain star left all his money to his parents and sisters.

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, dismissed those claims. "Matilda is our absolute priority, and Michelle is an integral part of our family. They will be taken care of and that's how Heath would want it to be."

Kim Ledger, who was in Los Angeles, however 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."

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.

"I am delighted that Heath's brilliant performance can be shared with the world.

"We are looking forward to finishing the movie and, through the film, with a modicum of humility, being able to touch people's hearts and souls as Heath was able to do."

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.

Ledger gained international stardom with his Oscar-nominated performance as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain.

No comments: