Instruct your assistant to hold all your calls, poor yourself a tumbler of whiskey, and fire up the Bose Wave to ease you into haunting opening strums of Gustavo Santaolalla's "The Wings"—this next one's going to be a little rough. Sources from the New Mexico set of Jake Gyllenhaal's new movie Brothers tell People that the actor is "devastated" since learning of his Brokeback Mountain sharpshooting partner's death:

UPDATE: Michelle Williams's publicist refutes Us's Ledger rehab story, after the jump.

The actor, who is godfather to Ledger's two-year-old daughter Matilda, has been devastated by last week's news. Says one Gyllenhaal friend, "Jake is taking this harder than most people." [...]
This has had a strong personal effect on [Jake]," says a set source. The insider adds that Gyllenhaal left the set immediately after learning of Ledger's Jan. 22 death - but he flew back on a commercial flight to shoot an additional scene on Thursday.

"He was there, but he wasn't with us. It was obviously a major trauma," says the movie source. "These guys were very close. [Jake] was sitting in the director's chair staring off into space."

Not depressed enough yet? Well perhaps Us Weekly's new cover, "Heath Ledger's Secret Struggles," will sweep the remaining crumbs of hope from your overtaxed hearts. According to their reports, Michelle Williams drove Ledger to Promises shortly after the 2006 Oscars, insisting he seek help with various drug addictions. He refused to leave the car, pledging instead that he'd sort though his dependency issues on his own. Their lead besotted with grief, shooting on Williams's current project Blue Valentine has been "postponed until further notice," says a ThinkFilm rep.

UPDATE: Williams's rep responds to the Us story:

"Much of the tabloid reporting is inaccurate," Mara Buxbaum tells CelebTV.com. "This fabricated story of Michelle Williams attempting to bring Heath Ledger to rehab is just one lie among many. The speculation is heinous. Let this family grieve privately."

Jake Is Taking Heath's Death 'Harder Than Most' [People]
EXCLUSIVE: Heath Ledger Refused to Get Out of Car to Enter Rehab in 2006 [Usmagazine.com]
Heath's ex too 'Blue' to do next movie [NY Daily News]

11:46 AM on Wed Jan 30 2008
By Seth
10,579 views
25 comments

Comments

PaisleyPajamas at 12:07 PM on 01/30/08
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After the divorce, she'd insist her ex-husband be subjected to drug-testing before visitations with their daughter, Us reports.

But, but...they were never married??? Us Weekly needs some new story maker-uppers.
scroll_lock at 12:16 PM on 01/30/08
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@PaisleyPajamas: If they were never married, maybe he was never dead, either! Yay!
OldTowneTavern at 12:22 PM on 01/30/08
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I think it's obvious what needs to be done: Get Martha and Meredith over there with some cocktails.
PaisleyPajamas at 12:27 PM on 01/30/08
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@scroll_lock: Oh, to wish. :(

My heart really is broken for Gyllenhal and the other people who had the privilege of knowing him. If the 'bloids are gonna make up stories anyway, couldn't they be the *nice* type?
nojo at 12:29 PM on 01/30/08
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I presume the "I wish I knew how to quit you" lines have all been taken by now.
Her Royal Empress Dr.... at 12:46 PM on 01/30/08
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Death, the only immortal who treats us all alike, whose pity and whose peace and whose refuge are for all - the soiled and the pure, the rich and the poor, the loved and the unloved. (Mark Twain)
livingblinditem at 12:55 PM on 01/30/08
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@PaisleyPajamas: The US Weekly Scandal-Matic is in the shop for repairs...let's be easy on them?
gidgetgurl at 12:55 PM on 01/30/08
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@PaisleyPajamas: somebody's got it wrong. The link to the US Weekly story doesn't say anything about a divorce or ex-husband. And the movie is Mammoth, not Blue Valentine. They correctly say Mammoth. She's not even listed on IMDB or Studio System as being in Blue Valentine, which by the way is a THINKFILM not ThinkTank project. Either Defamer's slipping or they see something on the US Weekly site that we don't????
gidgetgurl at 12:56 PM on 01/30/08
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OK. I take it back. the NY Daily News reports her being in Blue Valentine. My bad.
Pomalina at 01:00 PM on 01/30/08
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@Her Royal Empress Dr. Bufflekins III, Esq.: OMG, I never thought I'd see the day when something on Defamer makes me cry. Jesus, I need a drink now (or a snuggle on the couch with my favorite blankie, and a copy of ET on the tele. Catharthis! I need catharsis!
Tiger_Tanaka at 01:12 PM on 01/30/08
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Thanks. Now I'm getting verklempt thinking about the annual dead people montage during the Oscars. Crikey.
gorillavsmarykate at 01:13 PM on 01/30/08
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haha, I bet Jake is taking it hard.
PandoraSpocks at 01:35 PM on 01/30/08
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If you've had the experience of associating with serious actors at any point in your life (in my case it was job related) you cannot help but empathize. It is awful for them to lose one of their own, especially someone young, well-liked and so f'ing good.
Performances such as Ledger's in Brokeback are living testimony that acting is an artform rather than just a way to make a buck.

And the actors who were close to him --Michelle, Jake and others -- are likely going through the "If-only-I'd-done-such-and-such" stage as well, which is the most horrible feeling of all.
Her Royal Empress Dr.... at 01:37 PM on 01/30/08
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@Pomalina: Cry it out, baby. Here's another good one:

Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt. (Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five)

OK, grief counseling break.
jasonelias at 02:11 PM on 01/30/08
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@gorillavsmarykate: No he's dating Resse Witherspoon now...
Sleepyhead at 02:34 PM on 01/30/08
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@gorillavsmarykate: Dude. Take it back to FARK.
Sweet Panda Love at 04:00 PM on 01/30/08
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@gorillavsmarykate: Completely obvious ass fucking jokes? That's all you've got?
BowlingForDollars at 04:21 PM on 01/30/08
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This is so cute yet bittersweet:

During one intense early prison scene, Gyllenhaal jokingly reached into his pocket and took out a picture of his Brokeback beau to stick on the prison wall. "Like those prisoners put [loved ones] on the wall, but Jake's was Heath Ledger," one set source recalls. "That was hilarious. It was a nice moment."
StaringatScreen at 04:36 PM on 01/30/08
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@gorillavsmarykate:

Remember in the good olde days when comments were on Defamer where held to certain standard?

I miss those days.
Her Royal Empress Dr.... at 04:48 PM on 01/30/08
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@bowlingfordollars: Thank you, that made me click on the article. Which, besides being very sweet, cleaned the one I just read about the rehab jive out of my brain as well.
Baronzemo at 05:17 PM on 01/30/08
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SLEEPYHEAD, you leave FARK out of this! there's a Secret Epic Thread over there now where everyone communicates their grief by posting lines from "10 Things I Hate About You" If one more UltraFARKer posts, "She have beer-flavored nipples" I'll weep uncontrollably
Little Mintz Sunshine at 06:31 PM on 01/30/08
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"...but he flew back on a commercial flight..."

OMG. That is like so sad.
Pomalina at 06:48 PM on 01/30/08
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@Her Royal Empress Dr. Bufflekins III, Esq.: Man, you're good. *Snuffles up sloppy nose with tear-soaked tissue, reaches for Schnapps* Thanks, Doc.
The Authority at 08:32 PM on 01/30/08
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I genuinely believe Mr. Gyllenhaal feels as upset and compassionately sympathetic about this as an actor can.
Trixie from Toronto at 08:53 PM on 01/30/08
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Day Nine of Heath tears for me. Damn you Jake!