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Heath Ledger's will does not include daughter, ex-lover
10/3/2008 9:50

Hollywood tragic actor Heath Ledger, the "Brokeback Mountain" star, left everything he owned to his parents and three sisters, but not to his baby daughter or ex-lover Michelle Williams.

Media reports today revealed that the actor drafted a three-page will in April 2003 in his native Australia, which was before his relationship with Williams and before the birth of their daughter, Matilda Rose, in 2005.

However, the actor's father, Kim, made it clear that the two of them would be taken care of in an appropriate manner.

"Matilda is our absolute priority and Michelle is an integral part of our family," Kim Ledger said in a statement released to the media. "They will be taken care of and that's how Heath would want it to be."

Ledger had less than SU$145,000 in New York assets at the time of death. This includes a total of US$100,000 in various bank accounts, a US$25,000 Toyota Prius and US$20,000 in furniture and fixtures, according to the documents filed in the Manhattan Surrogate's Court.

His greater wealth, including trust funds, Australian properties and the beautiful Brooklyn townhouse he once shared with Williams, is uncertain.

"If they had jointly held assets, those are not subject to probate," said Karin Barkhorn, an estates specialist not involved in Heath's case. "There's no sleight of hand, it's just not required."

Ledger's lawyer, Harvey Corn, has asked the judge to seal the file to protect the family's privacy.

"While the case...has generated extraordinary public interest, it has also, unfortunately, brought out the worst in human nature," Corn wrote.

The 28-year-old Australian actor was found dead in his apartment, Jan. 22, from an accidental prescription drug overdose.



Xinhua/Agencies