Heath Ledger’s uncles are speaking out against his father Kim’s handling of the actor’s assets, saying Kim has a bad track record of estate management.

Ledger’s father so mishandled the management of their grandfather’s estate 15 years ago in Australia that Kim was removed as executor, the uncles claim.

“It plunged into enormous debt,” Mike Ledger, one of Kim’s brothers, tells PEOPLE.

Heath died in January at age 28 of an accidental mixture of prescription drugs – leaving behind a daughter, Matilda, by his ex, actress Michelle Williams. His will, written before his relationship with Williams, leaves everything to his parents and sisters.

Ledger’s uncle Mike insists the family has nothing to gain by removing Kim: “Our only vested interest is to assure that Matilda is well looked after.”

Mike added that Kim’s recent statement that Matilda “will be taken care of” was not enough assurance. “When you are talking about large sums of money like this,” he says, “it should be an independent executor, but Kim hasn’t chosen that way.”

Williams’s Father Raises Questions

Another of Kim’s brothers, Hayden, tells PEOPLE that Williams’s father, Larry, asked him if Kim was capable of managing the actor’s estate. “I just said, ‘No, not if he handles it like ours,’ ” he says.

The bitter dispute among the brothers dates back more than 15 years, when Kim became an executor of their grandfather Sir Frank Ledger’s estate, which they estimate was worth about $2 million in the mid 1980s. The family patriarch was a respected engineer in Perth.

According to the newspaper The Australian, Frank’s daughters filed a motion in Supreme Court asking to have Kim removed as the executor. The submission to the court stated that Kim’s handling of his grandfather’s estate “placed the assets at risk.” A report in Australia’s The Sunday Times says that a Supreme Court judge eventually removed Kim from overseeing the estate.

Ledger Family Friend Defends Kim

Robert John Collins – an Australian executor of Heath’s will who has known the Ledger family for 30 years – said last week that Mike and Hayden’s allegations about Kim were “rubbish.”

Kim and his brothers have remained estranged since the dispute. In fact, Mike says that 17 family members weren’t even invited to attend Heath’s memorial and funeral in Perth.

“I’m his godfather,” Mike says. “We didn’t even have the ability or the opportunity to pay our last respects to Heath. And I tell you, that is terrible – that is so sad.”

PEOPLE 

Australian actor Heath Ledger, who was found dead in a New York apartment on January 22, 2008, has now officially been given a cause of death: accidental overdose. A New York medical examiner performed the autopsy and their offices have released the following statement:

“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.”

Wow. I believe them when they say he accidentally took too many pills that couldn’t be combined but.. why was he taking all these pills in the first place? It sounds like Heath was a very sad, depressed, and troubled guy. That’s very sad but it’s good to know that maybe it was an accident after all. Upon receipt of this news, Heath Ledger’s family released the following statement:

We remain humble as parents and a family, among millions of people worldwide who may have suffered the tragic loss of a child. Few can understand the hollow, wrenching, and enduring agony parents silently suffer when a child predeceases them. Today’s results put an end to speculation, but our son’s beautiful spirit and enduring memory will forever remain in our hearts.

While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today 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. We as a family feel privileged to have some of his amazing magic moments captured in film. To most of the world Heath was an actor of immeasurable talent and promise. To those who knew him personally, Heath was a consummate artist whose passions also included photography, music, chess and directing. We knew Heath as a loving father, as our devoted son, and as a loyal and generous brother and friend.

We treasure our beautiful granddaughter Matilda (to our dear Michelle) as well as an unbelievably wonderful network of close friends, forever, around the world. Families rarely experience the uplifting, warm and massive outpouring of grief and support as have we, from every corner of the planet. This has deeply and profoundly touched our hearts and lives. We are eternally grateful.

At this moment we respectfully request the worldwide media allow us time to grieve privately, without the intrusions associated with press and photography.

So sad! I really hope people give his family and friends their time to grieve and respect their personal space. Rest in peace, Heath, you will be sorely missed!

“Please respect our need to grieve privately. My heart is broken. I am the mother of the most tender-hearted, high-spirited, beautiful little girl who is the spitting image of her father. All that I can cling to is his presence inside her that reveals itself every day. His family and I watch Matilda as she whispers to trees, hugs animals, and takes steps two at a time, and we know that he is with us still. She will be brought up with the best memories of him.”

(Source)

Heath Ledger’s sudden death has been especially tough on his good friend – and Brokeback Mountain costar – Jake Gyllenhaal.

The actor, who is godfather to Ledger’s two-year-old daughter Matilda, has been devastated by last week’s news. Says one Gyllenhaal friend, “Jake is taking this harder than most people.”

Nowhere is that more apparent than on the New Mexico set of Gyllenhaal’s latest movie, Brothers.

“This has had a strong personal effect on [Jake],” says a set source. The insider adds that Gyllenhaal left the set immediately after learning of Ledger’s Jan. 22 death – but he flew back on a commercial flight to shoot an additional scene on Thursday.

“He was there, but he wasn’t with us. It was obviously a major trauma,” says the movie source. “These guys were very close. [Jake] was sitting in the director’s chair staring off into space.”

Gyllenhaal has been off since shooting that scene, and was photographed Saturday looking subdued with girlfriend Reese Witherspoon in Los Angeles. Set sources say director Jim Sheridan is shooting around the grieving actor during his personal leave.

The 27-year-old’s somber mood is a sharp contrast to the happier times on the set of Brothers. During one intense early prison scene, Gyllenhaal jokingly reached into his pocket and took out a picture of his Brokeback beau to stick on the prison wall. “Like those prisoners put [loved ones] on the wall, but Jake’s was Heath Ledger,” one set source recalls. “That was hilarious. It was a nice moment.”

The source adds, “When you think back on it now, it’s touching.”

People

Services for Heath Ledger will remain private, a rep for the late actor said in a statement Friday.

Various reports have said Ledger would be buried in his hometown of Perth, Australia, but no official plans have been announced.

“At this time, we will not be releasing any information,” the rep says. “There are no plans for a public service.”

Ledger, 28, was found dead in his SoHo apartment Tuesday and his family is set to arrive in Manhattan Friday for his funeral.

People

To read about the tragic and sudden death of actor Heath Ledger, click here.

To read what celebrities have said about the passing of Heath Ledger, click here.  

“This is such a sad event. I admired Heath enormously, he was such a sensitive and committed and daring actor. This is truly a tragedy. I send my condolences to his family and friends and colleagues.”- Geoffrey Rush

“I deeply respect Heath’s work and always admired his continuing development as an artist.  My thoughts are with his family and close friends.”- Cate Blanchett

“Heath was an exceptional human being with a massive heart: always generous, adventurous and impressive. I always believed, as a young man, he was wise well beyond his years. And as far as his work goes, I know I’m not alone in thinking he was just getting started to realise an incredible potential. My heart goes out to those who knew him best: To his family, To Michelle and Matilda, and to his friends, especially his Perth gang who I know will be heartbroken right now. Those friends and his family were everything. It really is a sad day. An incredible shock.”- Joel Edgerton

“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.’- Mel Gibson

“What a terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to Heath’s family.”- Nicole Kidman

“It’s really, really sad. I hope his family is okay. I wish them the best.”- Charlize Theron

“Losing him at any age would be a loss but it was pretty rough news. I was really shocked by it. He’s touched me deeply as a talent and it’s a great loss.”- John Travolta

“Like many in the acting community I am tremendously saddened and shocked by Heath’s death. Whatever the circumstances, Heath was someone who had everything to live for. He was a very nice man, and a phenomenal screen actor. This is unbelievable.”- Sam Neill

“Mate, I had such admiration for you. Your dignity, humility, grace and talent will always be an inspiration to me. You shook the world and made us take notice. My heart goes out to you, your friends and your family, especially little Matilda Rose. May your spirit live on to affect all those who hear about you and see your great work.”- Guy Pearce

“It is tragic that we have lost one of our nation’s finest actors in the prime of his life. Heath Ledger’s diverse and challenging roles will be remembered as some of the great performances by an Australian actor.” – Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

“He was very funny and I remember having a great time with him. I know everyone on the crew enjoyed working with him and the producers wanted him to stay with the show for much longer. My heart goes out to his family and to his little girl. It is such a sad day for so many people in our industry.- Kate Ritchie

“Heath Ledger was a courageous actor and a great soul. He gave us the gift of sharing his fearless and beautiful love of his craft, and of all who worked with him for which all of us will be eternally grateful.”- James Schamus

“He handled his career incredibly well – he made a decision about four years ago to stop being led by producers and managers and to forge his own way. He started working with the most interesting directors. He was so successful at breaking out of the teen idol image. We saw with his relationship with the paparazzi that he was vulnerable and felt intensely invaded and got so unbelievably distressed. The photographers would try to push him into a reaction and he was a young man so he would react.”- Neil Armfield

To find out more about Australian actor Heath Ledger’s untimely passing, you can click here.  Updates are at the bottom of the post.