Stars Pay Tribute To Heath Ledger

Michelle Williams, Heath's former fiancé and the mother of his two-year-old daughter, was in Sweden when she heard of the actor's death. A source close to Michelle told People magazine the actress was "devastated" and had already boarded a flight to New York. "I can't believe Matilda is going to grow up without a dad, without knowing her father. And that Michelle will have to deal with having a daughter who's lost her father," the source said. "She's a survivor. She'll make it, but it's going to be hard."

Heath father, Kim Ledger, released the following statement to honour his son's life: "Heath's family confirms the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda. Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life but few had the pleasure of truly knowing him. He was a down to earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving and selfless individual who was extremely inspirational to many. Please now respect our family's need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately."

 

Cate Blanchett paid tribute to Heath when she was asked for her reaction to the news that she had received two Oscar nominations. "I'm thrilled by the nominations but more profoundly saddened by the loss of Heath. I deeply respected his work and always admired his continuing development as an artist. My thoughts are with his family and close friends," Cate said.

Nicole Kidman grew close to Heath throughout his two-year relationship with her close friend, Australian actress Naomi Watts. "What a terrible tragedy," Kidman said in a statement. "My heart goes out to Heath's family."

 

John Travolta told Access Hollywood that he "adored" Ledger. "He's touched me deeply as a talent and it's a great loss. Losing him at any age would be a loss but it was pretty rough news. I was really shocked by it."

Geoffrey Rush, who acted with Ledger in the Australian film Candy, said: "I admired Heath enormously... He was such a sensitive and committed and daring actor."

Mel Gibson, who played Heath's father in the 2000 film The Patriot, told of his grief when he heard of Ledger's death: "I had such great hope for him. He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."

 

Helena Christensen, who briefly dated Heath in 2007, spoke of her grief: "I am just beyond sad at this point and shocked... He was such a special and genuine person, so extraordinarily talented because he was so raw and honest with his feelings. He was so full of life, so electric. This is immensely sad."

Heath will soon be seen in the Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight. Alan Horn, president of Warner Brothers, the makers of the film, said the industry had lost a great actor and a great person.  "The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news. The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent. Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person. Our hearts go out to his family and friends."

 

Heath Ledger (1979-2008) Homepage

Heath Ledger: A great talent lost