Heather Graham calls ex-boyfriend Heath Ledger a ‘special person’ while sharing unseen photos taken seven years before his death at 28
Heather Graham is looking back on her time with the late Heath Ledger fondly.
The 51-year-old actress shared some unseen photos on Wednesday that were taken over the course of their year-long relationship when she called him a ‘special person’.
The couple dated from 2000 to 2001 before Ledger was tragically found dead in an apartment in New York on January 22, 2008, after an accidental overdose after months of physical and mental exhaustion.
Good memories: Heather Graham, 51, remembers her relationship with Heath Ledger while sharing rare photos of the couple during their one-year romance in 2000, before he had a tragic overdose in 2008
‘Examining my photos, I found this. Just remembering this time. Heath Ledger was such a special person, ‘she wrote.
The trio of photos provided a more intimate look at the couple’s relationship. In one photo, Heather could be seen with her arms around his neck while lying on his shoulder.
In another, she posted a shirtless selfie of the Australian actor while he took a picture of himself in the mirror with a film camera.
The two met in Prague at a nightclub, according to author Janet Fife-Yeomans, who wrote a biography on Ledger in 2008 called Heath: A Family’s Tale.
Heather was filming From Hell with Johnny Depp and they were both single at the time and ‘sparks flew’.
Intimate appearance: the turbulent romance was short-lived, as it was linked to co-stars Naomi Watts and, finally, Michelle Williams, with whom she shares a daughter Matilda before she died
A photo posted by Graham shows Ledger visiting her on the set of the film right after the meeting.
“She is my muse. She’s a beautiful, beautiful girl. We make ourselves laugh. She’s so funny, that’s the key. It’s fun. It’s a good relationship and very true, ‘he said.
The pair flew to their hometown in Perth months after they met, and she accompanied him on the red carpet at the premiere of his film A Knight’s Tale.
The turbulent romance was short-lived, however, and the Hollywood heartthrob moved to Naomi Watts after meeting on the set of Australian film Ned Kelly.
Two years later, he fell in love with another co-star, dating Michelle Williams after filming Brokeback Mountain.
Casual encounter: The two fell in love with each other after meeting in Prague at a nightclub, while a photo shared by Heather shows Ledger visiting her on the set of her film From Hell, which she was shooting at the time; pictured in 2000
The pair had their daughter Matilda together in 2005, when he told the London Observer: ‘We just fell deeply into each other’s arms. Our bodies definitely made those decisions for us’, adding ‘I always knew I would be a young father’.
They remained a romantic couple until 2007, but after the separation Ledger’s dark demons seemed to arise and he died just five months later.
Supposedly a drug user who has been in and out for years, things came to a head when he was juggling many films – including his latest role The Dark Knight – with very little sleep and he started to rely on several prescription cocktails for turn off your mind.
‘I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted and my mind was still working, ‘he told the New York Times in an interview in November, just two months before he died at the age of 28.
He was eventually found dead by a lethal combination of six drugs in his system: two types of narcotics, two types of anxiolytic drugs and two types of sleeping pills.
Tragic loss: The extremely talented actor was found dead in an apartment in New York in 2008 with a lethal combination of six drugs in his system, after months of physical and mental exhaustion that culminated in an accidental overdose; portrayed in 2006