Heath Ledger’s Daughter Was Not in His Will Yet When He Died — Raised on a Farm, She’s Following His Footsteps at 17

• Heath Ledger and his daughter share a lot of similarities.
• She grew up on a farmhouse away from public life.
• Ledger's child was initially not in his will but is now following in his footsteps.

Former child actor Heath Ledger sadly passed away on January 22, 2008, at age 28. His masseuse and housekeeper discovered his body on the floor of his rented apartment in SoHo, New York City.

Emergency services arrived on the scene, but unfortunately, they failed to resuscitate him. At the time, numerous media speculation made rounds surrounding the cause of his untimely death, suggesting possible illegal drug abuse.

The New York City Medical Examiner's Office's toxicology report revealed Ledger died of an accidental "abuse of prescription medications" that included painkillers, sleeping pills, and anxiety drugs.

Ledger's family held a memorial service for him in the Big Apple and Los Angeles before transporting his body to his home country, Australia – where they cremated him at a private funeral service attended by his loved ones.

The movie star left behind his one and only child, daughter Matilda Ledger, whom he shares with actress Michelle Williams. The pair were never married.

Ledger met Williams on the set of the film, "Brokeback Mountain," in 2004. He played closeted gay man Ennis Del Mar, and she played his wife and longtime love, Alma. The two instantly fell for each other, which was love at first for them – thanks to an on-set sledding accident.

Within months, the lovebirds got engaged and announced they were expecting their first child. Days before the movie came out, the on-screen duo announced the arrival of their daughter Matilda in October 2005. In 2012, Williams reflected on how their newfound romance blossomed and said:

"Our initial meeting, the circumstances of how we first met, were cosmic or something. Yeah, a lot of things happened at once. It's a bit like, we had a lot of things to do because we didn't have a lot of time or something."

Following three years together, Williams and Ledger parted ways in September 2007, just four months before the actor's tragic death. Details of why the two broke up remained a blur.

After Ledger died, then People Senior Editor JD Heyman revealed in 2008 that while the deceased was a party-goer, his girlfriend was the opposite and that the couple's lifestyles clashed:

"Well, certainly, Heath Ledger was a partier. He liked to go out. He was a known user of drugs. [...] He had a lifestyle that wasn't - at least in Michelle Williams' eyes – compatible with raising a child and continuing in that relationship. Even though their relationship did not work out, she did love Heath."

After the father of her child passed, the mother of one went on a hiatus from Hollywood and moved to upstate New York with Matilda.

Williams raised her daughter away from the limelight. They relocated to a farmhouse in the countryside and lived there for six years.

Matilda Looks Exactly like Ledger

It has been 15 years since Ledger died, and his daughter Matilda is now 17 and the spitting image of her father. This is confirmed through pictures of the teenager dating back to 2021.

Matilda inherited her father's wavy, sandy-colored hair and facial features. In addition to the uncanny resemblance, her grandfather, Ledger's dad, Kim, previously revealed she boasts of her dad's personality.

Kim named several qualities his granddaughter has that are similar to that of her late father, revealing she even has his qualities from his childhood years:

"She's got an enormous number of his mannerisms. She's very inquisitive, she's got his energy because Heath never slept from when he was two and Matilda's like that. She's just got this ball of energy and she radiates this little aura. Heath was kind of like that."

She's Following Dad's Footsteps

It is no surprise Matilda is following in her father's footsteps today. A source once claimed that the youngster had begun to show an interest in Ledger's old hobby: chess.

The insider explained "The Patriot" star loved the board game, and now his child is getting better at it–and even owns his "old chess board."

The source spoke fondly of Matilda's ability to play the game, adding her mother believes this is a good distraction for her to steer her away from trouble:

"Matilda has the skills to become a Grandmaster. Michelle [Williams] thinks this is a great thing and will prevent her from getting up to no good."

After living on the outskirts for several years, Williams and her daughter moved back to the city. Williams purchased a house in Brooklyn, where they resided before uprooting. She explained her decision to move in the first place, saying it was an "intolerable state of existence." Moreover, the mother of one reportedly wanted to "keep things real" for her daughter despite her own acting background.

Previously, she and Ledger shared a $3.6 million townhouse in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. The father of one once expressed his liking for the place: "I like everything about Brooklyn. I adore it."

Even though the Hollywood star's daughter was not a beneficiary in his will at the time of his death, she inherited his money later – all $16.3 million.

In 2003, Ledger signed a will that left his wealth to his parents and sisters two years before his child's birth. After he died, many speculated that the mother of his daughter would contest his will for their child to be the sole beneficiary. However, that never became an issue as his family signed over the entire estate to his offspring.

Now that he is no longer alive, Matilda and her mom are said to be tight-knit. Over the years, Williams, an Emmy Award winner, claimed that although her daughter had reached the adolescent stage, she had not yet shown typical teenage behavior, and they still maintained their close bond.

"Matilda hasn’t yet hit those terrible teenage years and seems to have skipped them altogether," the proud mom expressed. "Every morning we wake up and I wait to see if the transformation has happened and if it’s turned into the next level I keep hearing about, but we’re not there yet."