A grieving Michelle Williams has returned with her daughter to the Brooklyn home she shared with Heath Ledger in happier times.
The 27-year-old actress arrived home Wednesday night from Trollhattan, Sweden, where she was on location shooting the upcoming film Mammoth.
Clutching two-year-old Matilda Rose in her arms, Williams exited a black SUV and rushed into the house, where her mother, Carla, and best friend Busy Philipps were reportedly waiting for her.
Williams has been described as "devastated" over the death of her ex. Though the couple ended their relationship in August, they reportedly agreed to remain close for the sake of their daughter.
The duo fell in love in 2004 while filming Brokeback Mountain, in which they played husband and wife.
"I remember being at rehearsal and seeing the two of them sort of like googly-eyed looking at each other," costar Jake Gyllenhaal told Oprah Winfrey in the wake of the film's release.
"There were sparks immediately," fellow star Anne Hathaway said at the time.
Upon learning of the death of his daughter's former fiancé, Williams' father, Larry, drew upon the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson, saying: "He burned the candle at both ends, so his years were few. But, oh, what a beautiful flame he made."
The actor's body has been released to a New York funeral parlor, and funeral arrangements have since been completed, George Amado, the general manager of the Frank E. Campbell funeral home, told the AP Thursday. Ledger's family is expected to arrive in New York on Friday, but Amado declined to provide any details, saying the family did not want any information released.
The remains are expected to be flown to Australia for a burial in Ledger's hometown of Perth.
There are currently no plans for a public memorial service, either in the States or in Australia.
Ledger was discovered Tuesday afternoon by a massage therapist, who arrived at the actor's apartment for a scheduled appointment.
When she was unable to rouse him, she placed two calls to Mary-Kate Olsen, whom she knew to be a friend, from his cell phone, then dialed paramedics, police said Wednesday.
Officials arrived on the scene within minutes and pronounced the actor dead.
An assortment of prescription drugs was found near Ledger's body, including sleep aids, antianxiety meds and an antihistamine, officials said.
No illegal drugs were found in the apartment, and a rolled-up $20 bill found near the body tested negative for drug residue.
Authorities have indicated the actor could have died of an accidental overdose, stating they have ruled out foul play and that there were no signs Ledger had committed suicide.
An initial autopsy proved inconclusive, and a spokesperson for the medical examiner said additional tests would be needed to determine the cause of death. Those tests are expected to take about 10 days.
Appearing on CBS' Early Show Thursday, two of Ledger's uncles said their nephew would never have taken his own life.
"It just wouldn't come into the equation at all," Haydn Ledger said. The men deflected questions on whether their nephew had been depressed, saying that was up to his parents to answer.
In an interview with the West Australian newspaper, Sophie Ward, a friend of the actor's and sister of model Gemma Ward, with whom Ledger has been romantically linked, described Ledger as "edgy" and unable to relax when she saw him over the Christmas holidays in Australia.
She attributed his anxious demeanor to his split from Williams and separation from Matilda, saying he "was quite upset because he couldn't see his daughter as much as he'd like to. He was traveling so much, and I think he was just frustrated with it all."
Ward said Ledger was not drinking or using drugs during the time she spent with him.
"He smoked cigarettes, but that's about it. He was drinking Diet Coke when we were together and he said he was very committed to not drinking alcohol," she said.
"I don't believe he took his own life deliberately."
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