Brokeback Mountain Director: Working With Heath Ledger Was “One of the Purest Joys of My Life”

Ang Lee directed Heath Ledger in his Oscar-nominated role in Brokeback Mountain, where the actor met his ex-girlfriend, Michelle Williams.

"Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life,” Lee said in a statement to Usmagazine.com. “He brought to the role of Ennis more than any of us could have imagined - a thirst for life, for love, and for truth, and a vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him.”

Lee is still grappling with Ledger’s passing.

“His death is heartbreaking," he said.

Ledger was found dead Tuesday in his downtown Manhattan apartment.

A new report claims drugs, including a $20 bill with narcotic residue on it, were confiscated.

Filming on what would have been his next movie, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, was recently shut down, Usmagazine.com exclusively reported.

For a look back at Ledger's life, click here.

Published 1/23/08 by

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