In 2008, we lost one of the most promising actors of this generation, Heath Ledger, at the age of 28. In the twelve years that has passed since Ledger's death, not much has been said, but there is that wonder about what happened to his estate and who inherited it. Well, we're about to find out just who did.
Heath Ledger's Daughter, Matilda, Has Inherited All Of His Estate
Heath Ledger had only one child, Matilda. Matilda was two years old at the time of her father's death, and after the death of Heath, it was speculated that Matilda's mother and Heath's former partner, Michelle Williams, would lodge a claim, but that never happened.
"There is no claim," says Kim Ledger, Heath's father. "Our family has gifted everything to Matilda."
In addition to that, it was revealed that Ledger had signed a will on April 2003, over two years before the birth of his daughter. The will stated that everything he owned would go to his parents and his sisters.
Matilda has since inherited Heath's entire $16.3 million estate.
A Lawsuit
Ledger's former attorney, John S. LaViolette sued Minnesota-based ReliaStar Life Insurance after the company did not pay out a $10million life insurance policy. LaViolette filed the lawsuit in July 2008, six months after the actor's death, seeking money for Matilda.
"There's a young girl whose father died who is entitled to this money, and ReliaStar is doing everything it can to avoid paying," says LaViolette's attorney, William Shernoff. "There's not a shred of evidence it was suicide."
In January 2009, it was announced that both parties were able to reach an amicable settlement.
"The parties are pleased that they were able to reach an amicable settlement and solve the dispute,” said Shernoff.
Family Feud
Sometimes, the passing of a loved one can lead to a family feud over the estate. The Ledger family certainly was no exception to that, and it didn't even start after Heath's death. In fact, it started fifteen years before his death.
One of Heath's uncles, Mike, spoke with PEOPLE magazine in March 2008 where he said that his brother and Heath's father, Kim didn't handle their grandfather's estate very well. In fact, because of that, he was removed as executor of the estate.
"It plunged into enormous debt," says Mike. “Our only vested interest is to assure that Matilda is well looked after.” Mike added.
Another brother of Kim, Hayden said that Michelle Williams' father, Larry asked if Kim was capable of handling Heath's estate.
"I just said, "No, not if he handles it like ours"," says Hayden.
The family feud began in 1993 when their grandfather, Sir Frank Ledger, a well respected engineer, passed away. There were also court documents that revealed that Frank's daughters accused Kim of placing his own interests before that of the trust and has used the assets to advance his business interests.
As of 2020, 27 years after Frank's death, Kim and his brothers have been estranged since the dispute.
Where Is Matilda Ledger Now?
Today, Matilda is 14 years old and seems to be living a normal teenage life in New York City.
She's also getting ready to be a big sister, as her mother, Michelle Williams is pregnant with her second child, her first with Hamilton director, Thomas Kail.
Williams is notorious for keeping her family life private, which explains why we don't hear much about Matilda these days. Though, Michelle said in 2019 that she would always tell Matilda, "Your dad loved me before anybody thought I was talented, or pretty, or had nice clothes."
It's certainly clear to see that Heath's legacy is certainly being kept alive by his daughter, who is practically the spitting image of the late actor. Who knows what the future will hold for Matilda? We certainly think that the young teen will have a bright future ahead of her.
It's also nice to see her living a normal life, and not in the public eye as often. If there is one thing, it's that her late father's legacy will continue to live on through her forever.