HEATH LEDGER'S PA 'WILL' BLOW IT

FAMILY IS WORRIED FOR TOT AFTER HE RUINED KIN'S ESTATE

March 20, 2008 -- Heath Ledger's fortune will be lost if his father is allowed to handle the estate, relatives of the late actor say.

Kim Ledger so bungled his own father's estate 15 years ago that the Australian family nearly went broke, his brother Mike told People.com.

"It plunged into enormous debt," Mike Ledger said, and in the end Kim had to be removed as executor.

Heath did have a will, but the 28-year-old actor probably thought he had plenty of time to update it to include provisions for his 2-year-old daughter, Matilda.

The will, which left everything to his parents, was written before his relationship with actress Michelle Williams, the birth of their daughter and their subsequent breakup.

When Heath died in January from an accidental overdose of a slew of prescription medications, relatives were still so estranged following the earlier mishandled estate that many of Heath's uncles and aunts and cousins were not invited to the funeral and memorial services in Perth, Australia.

"I'm his godfather," Mike Ledger said. "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."

Heath's relatives said they cannot allow history to repeat itself. The family had to file a motion in Australia's Supreme Court asking that Kim be removed as executor of his own father's $2 million estate. The late dad, Sir Frank Ledger, had been a successful engineer in Perth.

According to The Australian, the motion said that Kim Ledger "placed the assets at risk." A judge eventually stripped him of power over what remained of their inheritance. In Heath's case, Mike Ledger said he is not looking to cash in, but merely wants to ensure Matilda is taken care of.

"Our only vested interest is to assure that Matilda is well looked after," he said.

Kim issued a statement saying that Matilda "will be taken care of."

According to Kim, Michelle Williams is "an integral part of our family" and the welfare of Matilda is an "absolute priority."

But this was not enough to satisfy the extended family.

"When you are talking about large sums of money like this, it should be an independent executor, but Kim hasn't chosen that way," he said.

Another of Heath's uncles, Hayden, told People.com that he made clear to Michelle Williams' family that Kim should not be trusted with this task.

Heath's estate is estimated to be worth close to $60 million, according to family members, who argue that the late actor's siblings should receive a share.