It’s hard to believe Heath’s darling daughter Matilda Rose Ledger turns 11 this week!
And while it’s been eight years since the actor’s untimely passing, his legacy is still very much alive in his only daughter.
Matila is growing up to be the spitting image of her late father, Heath.
It’s easy to see just how much little Matilda looks like her Oscar-winning dad, who sadly passed away in 2008.
Indeed, the striking resemblance has been noticed by her loved ones including her grandfather Kim Ledger.
The 11 year-old is looking more like her parents each day.
“She’s got an enormous number of his mannerisms. She’s very inquisitive, she’s got his energy, cause Heath never slept from when he was two and Matilda’s like that,” Kim told Channel Ten’s The Project in March last year.
“I mean, she’s just got this ball of energy and she radiates this little aura, Heath was kind of like that. So it’s fabulous really.”
“Michelle’s been brilliant. She’s kept Heath very much alive in her daughter’s eyes. She’s always full of questions, always wanting to know this or that about her dad. And I guess that will just get more intense as she gets older and obviously we would welcome that,” Kim poignantly added of Matilda’s mother, who was with the Perth-born actor for three years between 2004 and 2007.
And while Matilda clearly takes after her dad, the blonde also looks like her mum Michelle when she was young.
Proud mum Michelle says she constantly looks to her daughter when she is missing Heath.
“Everytime I really miss him and wonder where he’s gone, I just look at her,” Michelle told US Vogue.
WATCH: Heath’s best friend Jake Gyllenhaal opens up about losing Heath. Post continues after the video…
Just like daddy! With her big eyes and blonde hair Heath’s only child, pictured on the right in 2009, is certainly keeping his memory alive.
“Matilda can know her dad in so many ways, and so many of his friends who will be able to tell her stories. His friends, his family – they were a big part of his life, and they will be a big part of her life,” the actress explained.
Happy birthday Matilda!
Heath once said that becoming a father was “the most remarkable experience I’ve ever had.”
