Michelle Williams breaks silence on Ledger's deathStory Highlights
Michelle Williams on Heath Ledger: "My heart is broken"

NEW YORK (AP) -- Michelle Williams broke her silence Friday, saying her "heart is broken" over Heath Ledger in her first statement since the "Brokeback Mountain" actor's death.


Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger had a daughter, Matilda, together.

more photos » The 27-year-old actress and Ledger became a couple during filming of 2005's "Brokeback," in which they costarred as husband and wife.

They later settled in New York, and had a daughter, Matilda, born October 2005.

"Please respect our need to grieve privately," Williams said in a statement. "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."

Ledger, 28, died in his Manhattan apartment January 22. Authorities suspect a possible drug overdose, but the cause of his death is still pending the outcome of toxicology tests.

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"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," Williams said. "She will be brought up in the best memories of him." E-mail to a friend
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