at 11:39 on September 29, 2008, EDT.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PERTH, Australia - Heath Ledger's two-year-old daughter Matilda Rose will inherit all of her father's estate, Ledger's father says.

The Australian actor, who died from an accidental prescription drug overdose in January, signed a will before his daughter was born leaving everything to his parents and three sisters. Some had speculated his former partner Michelle Williams would lodge a claim for the money.

But Ledger's father, Kim Ledger, told the Australian newspaper the Sunday Times that the family had given all the money to Matilda and that there had been no challenge from Williams.

"There is no claim," the newspaper quoted Kim Ledger as saying in a report published Sunday. "Our family has gifted everything to Matilda."

The actor signed the will on April 12, 2003. It lists assets and cash of just $118,000, but the actor's estate is believed to be worth more than $16.3 million, the newspaper said.

Adelaide accountant Mark Dyson, who is an executor of the estate, said he could not reveal how much Matilda would inherit.


©The Canadian Press, 2008

That kid is set for life.

Show's Heath cared alot about her future. Awesome dad


This just in. Looks like all that want a piece of the estate are starting to come out of the wood work. How greedy some people can be over money

Ex-lawyer for Heath Ledger sues over life insurance policy


at 13:42 on September 29, 2008, EDT.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


LOS ANGELES - A former lawyer for Heath Ledger is suing over a $10-million life insurance policy he claims has gone unpaid since the actor's death.

Lawyer John S. LaViolette sued Minnesota-based ReliaStar Life Insurance Company in July, claiming the company is trying to avoid paying the claim to Ledger's young daughter, Matilda Rose.

The lawsuit doesn't mention Ledger or his daughter's name. It states that it's on behalf of a man who died of "accidental causes on January 22, 2008." That's the day Ledger was found dead of an apparent accidental prescription drug overdose.

A spokesman for ReliaStar says the insurer has made no decision about whether to pay the claim.

The lawsuit's existence was first reported by website TMZ.


©The Canadian Press, 2008

Financially perhaps. Emotionally? Time will tell. Let's hope so.

3121 said:

Hopefully she's young enough not to have experienced the trauma of losing a parent that an older child would. Though being raised by a single parent probably isn't ideal for any child, if it comes down to a toddler losing a parent and a school-aged child losing a parent the toddler might be the better off.

She probably won't remember her father, which is sad. But perhaps that works in her favour -she'd be spared having to grieve someone she knew.

luv4u said:

Actually, Heath's will was so old that it had no mention of her daughter. The family decided they wanted the money to go to Heath's daughter.

FuNkeNsteiN said:

Exactly. It shows his family is a real class act for making sure their grandchild will be cared for. So often these sorts of situations end up so muddled and nasty. It's refreshing to people be productive, decisive, yet compassionate for once.

Little Matilda Rose...I hope they don't remove the sidewalk in NewYork where she and her daddy stepped in the cement and he signed their names next to the footprints...