Heath Ledger's ex-fiancee: "My heart is broken"

BEIJING, Feb. 2(Xinhuanet) -- Heath Ledger's ex-fiancee said she is "heartbroken" by the Hollywood star's death and asked that she and their little daughter be allowed to grieve in private, media reports said Friday.

Actress Michelle Williams, who reportedly split with Ledger over his drug use in September, has stayed out of sight since rushing home to New York after learning of Ledger's death two weeks ago.

In her first reaction since Ledger death, Williams said in a statement released by Ledger's spokeswoman, "Please respect our need to grieve privately. My heart is broken."

According to People magazine, the actress was "devastated" upon hearing the news and rushed off a movie shoot in Sweden to fly back to New York with their daughter, Matilda. She arrived at the Brooklyn home the two once shared on Jan. 23, greeted by makeshift memorials of flowers and letters.

Williams, 27, and Ledger, 28, met while filming "Brokeback Mountain" in 2005. She played his wife in the movie. The couple dated, lived together in Brooklyn, N.Y., and had Matilda in October 2005. Despite rumors about a wedding, the two split in September 2007.

Ledger was found dead in his downtown Manhattan apartment Jan. 22, with bottles of prescription drugs nearby. The actor's cause of death remains open, pending toxicology tests. Clips from a January 2006 video of Ledger at a Hollywood drug party were released earlier this week, increasing speculation that drugs may have been involved in his untimely death.

Ledger's family and friends, including former girlfriend Naomi Watts, paid tribute to the actor at a private memorial service in Los Angeles.

According to Australia's The Age, Ledger's body will be buried in his hometown of Perth next week and Williams is expected to attend the funeral.

(Agencies)

BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- Actor Heath Ledger's abuse of heroin, cocaine and pills forced his ex-fiancee Michelle Williams to send him to rehab in 2006, Us Weekly reported Thursday.

A Ledger confidant was quoted as saying Williams had been a firsthand witness to the "Brokeback Mountain" actor's use of alcohol and drugs for three years. It included cocaine, heroin and "a variety of pills." Full story

BEIJING, Jan. 28 -- Mary-Kate Olsen won't be talking to the cops about Heath Ledger, but she did finally come forward to share her thoughts on the late actor.

"Heath was a friend," Olsen said Friday. "His death is a tragic loss. My thoughts are with his family during this very difficult time."