Heath Ledger's help warning
----------------------------------Heath Ledger was told to seek professional help for his personal problems while filming 'The Dark Knight'. The late Australian actor - who tragically died from an accidental prescription drugs overdose in January - was reportedly warned he had become too obsessed with his portrayal of iconic Batman villain The Joker in the upcoming blockbuster. A source told FOX News: "Heath refused to talk to anyone out of character. If you tried to communicate with him normally instead of The Joker, he would just ignore you.
"He would often come to the set to hang out even on his days off, freaking everyone out. Towards the end of filming, he was warned by people that he had gone too far, but it was almost like he couldn't connect with those who cared for him anymore." Ledger reportedly locked himself in an apartment for an entire month before playing The Joker, who he described as a "psychotic, mass-murdering clown".
Ledger also admitted he had such trouble sleeping while shooting the film he resorted to taking the prescription drug Ambien. Sources on the set of 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus' - the movie Ledger was filming when he died - also claimed the actor could not "snap out" of character and seemed to have "lost sense" of who he was.
Heath Ledger: No love child
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Reports Heath Ledger fathered a love child are "in no way true", says the alleged mother's husband. Following an interview with the late actor's uncle it was widely reported Heath had an 11-year-old daughter from a relationship he had with a 25-year-old woman when he was just 17. However, the unnamed husband of the girl's mother has now insisted the story is completely false, and the couple are willing to submit the 11-year-old for a DNA test to prove it.
He is quoted as saying: "The whole thing with Ledger being the father is not true. No way. No can be. We knew it would flare up and that is the point of my talking and the simple thing is we will do a DNA test. I'm the step-dad, but there's nothing to hide and if I asked the mother I'm sure that she wouldn't mind having a DNA test."
The mother, whose name has been concealed for privacy reasons, was less willing to talk about the claims, adding: "I'm not answering anything. I think it's very, very rude that I'm being posed all of this. I really do. I can't talk about anything. "There's no background, there's no grounds, there's no nothing." Ledger, who died from an accidental prescription drugs overdose on January 22 aged 28 - had a two-year-old daughter Matilda with ex-partner, 'Dawson's Creek' Michelle Williams.
Heath Ledger love child claims
---------------------------------------Heath Ledger may have fathered a secret love child with a married older woman. The 'Brokeback Mountain' actor - who was found dead in his New York apartment in January following an accidental drugs overdose - had an affair with the unnamed woman when he was just a 17-year-old schoolboy. The woman is thought to have discovered she was pregnant after their relationship ended and has only now come forward, saying her 11-year-old girl could be Heath's daughter.
Heath's uncle Hadyn Ledger said: "There is a very real possibility that Heath was the father." If DNA tests confirm the girl is Heath's child, it could mean she is entitled to a share of his estate. 'The Dark Knight' actor has a two-year-old daughter Matilda Rose, with ex-partner Michelle Williams, however, both were left out of his will.
Heath wrote his will before his daughter was born, but his family have promised they will be looked after. The star left his entire estate to his parents and three sisters in the document signed in his native Australia in April 2003. A series of documents filed in the Manhattan Surrogate Court revealed Heath had less than $145,000 in New York assets at the time the will was written, including a $25,000 Toyota Prius hybrid car and $20,000 in furniture and fixtures. However, the true size of his estate is much larger, and is thought to include the Brooklyn townhouse he shared with Michelle during their relationship, which ended last year, as well as any property and savings located in Australia.
Heath Ledger's movie farewell
----------------------------------Heath Ledger will appear in the film he was shooting before his death, director Terry Gilliam has revealed. The eccentric filmmaker confirmed the 'Brokeback Mountain' star - who tragically died from an accidental drugs overdose in January - makes the final cut of his movie 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'. Filming on the project was halted after Heath was found dead in his New York apartment. Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell will appear as Heath's character Tony, as he travels between realms in the fantasy adventure. Terry said: "We want the film to touch people's hearts and souls as Heath was able to do. "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."
Terry added that production had now resumed in Vancouver, Canada, "with the blessing and support of Heath Ledger's family". It had been suggested that Heath's role would be completed using CGI (computer generated imagery), which is the process used to complete 'Gladiator' when screen legend Oliver Reed died during shooting. Producers also said other allowances had been made to allow Jude, Johnny and Colin to take over Heath's part. A statement read: "Since the format of the story allows for the preservation of his entire performance, at no point will Heath's work be modified or altered through the use of digital technology. "Each of the parts played by Johnny, Colin and Jude is representative of the many aspects of the character that Heath was playing." It is thought the movie will be released early next year.
Heath Ledger's will shock
-----------------------------------Heath Ledger's family have promised to look after his ex-wife and daughter, after the late actor left them out of his will. The 'Brokeback Mountain' star - who died of an accidental drug overdose in January - left his entire estate to his parents and three sisters in the documentsigned in his native Australia in April 2003. Heath made the will before he met and married actress Michelle Williams, who gave birth to their daughter Matilda Rose, who is now two. Heath's father Kim has now promised to provide for Michelle and Matilda.
He said: "Matilda is our absolute priority and Michelle is an integral part of our family. They will be taken care of and that is how Heath would want it to be."
Heath's representative Mara Buxbaum added: "The story is getting taken out of context and the media is speculating that this means Matilda and Michelle will not be taken care of. I want to make it very clear nothing could be farther from the truth." A series of documents filed in the Manhattan Surrogate Court revealed Heath had less than $145,000 in New York assets at the time the will was written, including a $25,000 Toyota Prius hybrid car and $20,000 in furniture and fixtures. However, the true size of his estate is much larger, and is thought to include the Brooklyn townhouse he shared with Michelle during their relationship, which ended last year, as well as any property and savings located in Australia. The bulk of the estate will be handled in Australia, and the 'I'm Not There' actor's lawyer Harry Corn has asked a judge to seal all documents relating to the case to protect the privacy of his family.
Court documents also reveal the Ledger family spent $39,000 with the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home on his memorial service in Perth, including $25,000 on his casket and $450 for 40 certified copies of his death certificate.
Heath Ledger's accidental death
------------------------------------------Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, autopsy results have revealed. The 28-year-old actor, who was found dead in his New York apartment on January 22, was killed by "acute intoxication" involving a combination of six drugs, the New York City medical examiner's office reported on Wednesday (06.02.08). Ellen Borakove, spokesperson for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, said: "Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine. We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications."
An initial autopsy, conducted just days after the actor's death, was deemed inconclusive. The New York Police Department found six different medications in Ledger's apartment, including anti-anxiety medications Alprazolam (also known as Xanax), Diazepam (Valium) and Lorazepam (Ativan). The 'Brokeback Mountain' actor was reportedly suffering from depression and insomnia in the months before his death.
Ledger's father Kim says the autopsy results helped put to rest rumours surrounding the star's death and hoped it would serve as a warning to prescription drug users. He said: "These results put an end to speculation, but our son's beautiful spirit and enduring memory will forever remain in our hearts. We have learned the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy. Heath's accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage. "Our family enjoyed an extremely happy two-week visit with Heath just prior to the New Year. Those recent precious days will stay with us forever."
Meanwhile, Ledger's former fiancée Michelle Williams - who arrived in Perth, Australia, on Wednesday to attend the actor's funeral - is reportedly telling the couple's two-year-old daughter Matilda her daddy has "gone away". A source said: "Matilda is too young to know why her father isn't around anymore. Michelle and the family are showering Matilda with love right now to cushion it so she isn't really aware. Michelle basically told Matilda, 'Daddy went away.' Matilda still doesn't grasp it." Ledger is expected to be laid to rest in a family plot with his grandparents at Perth's Karrakatta Cemetery this week.