'Beautiful soul': Naomi Watts shares emotional tribute to Heath Ledger

Naomi Watts has paid tribute to the late Heath Ledger 10 years after his death. Photos / Getty Images

Naomi Watts has penned an emotional tribute to her ex-boyfriend Heath Ledger, to mark the 10-year anniversary of his death.

The Australian actor was found dead in a New York apartment after an accidental overdose of prescription drugs in January 2008 at the age of 28.

Ten years on, Watts has taken to Instagram to share her memories with The Dark Knight star, whom she dated for nearly two years before their breakup in 2004.

Alongside a photo of the former couple, she wrote: "Thinking about this beautiful soul today. 10 years ago he left this world.

"He was a true original. Heart always on his sleeve, with the most powerful charisma, strength, humour and talent.

"I will never forget his gentle spirit."

View this post on Instagram

Thinking about this beautiful soul today. 10 years ago he left this world. He was a true original. Heart always on his sleeve, with the most powerful charisma, strength, humor and talent. I will never forget his gentle spirit. ❤️ #heathledger 📷 @wattsupphoto

A post shared by Naomi Watts (@naomiwatts) on Jan 22, 2018 at 6:57am PST

She was just one of the stars who paid tribute to Ledger on the anniversary of his death.

Busy Phillips, the longtime best friend of his former partner Michelle Williams, posted a tearful video to Instagram.

In the clip, she revealed she was listening to a MGMT song in the car that reminded her of him.

"I was just driving and I was thinking about my friend Heath, who died 10 years ago," she said, while fighting back tears.

"And this song came on, Time To Pretend, which came out after he had passed away. And I remember when it came out because I thought ... it made me think of him. I just thought he would have liked this song, you know?"

Last year, Ledger's 10 Things I Hate About You co-star Julia Stiles shared happy memories of her time working with him on the 1998 movie.

Speaking to news.com.au, Stiles revealed the young group of actors "hung out all the time", and that Ledger had shared with them his quirky hidden talent.

"He was always a delight," she recalled. "He had a didgeridoo he'd bring with him and he'd play every day ... I'd never seen one before, it was such a novelty."