Heath Ledger’s family will travel from Perth, Australia to attend the premiere of The Dark Knight in New York City next month, PEOPLE confirms.

A representative with the Australian entertainment company Village Roadshow says, “the family is now happy” to confirm the news of their attendance at the premiere on July 14, just days before the six-month anniversary of the actor’s death. Ledger died on Jan. 22 of a prescription drug overdose at the age of 28.

“What happened with Heath is so sad. It’s tragic; it’s hard to believe,” costar Aaron Eckhart told PEOPLE Saturday at the Style Villa Sports Presents Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09, a celeb video game tournament for the unreleased XBOX and Nintendo Wii game. “I enjoyed my time with him immensely.”

“Heath was loved by everybody on the set. It’s not all the time that the crews are interested in what is going on. Sometimes they get blasé about things, but Heath was electric,” he said. “The crew watched him, we all watched him, and he brought such an energy to his part and to the set. It was amazing to watch.”

Eckhart added: “People were in awe of him.”

• BOLD “Reporting by MELENIE AMBROSE and VANESSA DIAZ”]

Sienna Miller says a pair of pajamas she shared with Heath Ledger, who died in January, helps keep her Casanova costar alive in her heart.

“Heath and I had this amazing night out in Venice with my mother,” Miller tells June 7 issue of Britain’s Telegraph Magazine, recalling working on their 2005 movie. “It had been pouring with rain. Heath ran out in the middle of St. Mark’s square and we were running around, and I slipped over.”

“We all ran back to his %26#91;apartment%26#93; and he gave me these dry pajamas to get home in,” Miller says.

Two years later, Miller had the chance to return the favor to Ledger, who often talked about his trouble getting a good night of sleep.

To Miller, the PJs became a symbol of her friendship with Ledger. “When he died, I was so sad that I didn’t have these stupid pajamas anymore, so his father found them to give to me.”

Miller keeps the blue checked sleepwear close, and had them with her in Prague during the filming of her upcoming movie, G.I. Joe, the magazine reports.

It’s been five months since Heath Ledger’s shocking death at age 28. But the young actor was still very much on the minds of his colleagues at Thursday night’s Australians in Film 2008 Breakthrough Awards in Beverly Hills.

The emotional highlight of the evening came when Gregor Jordan - who became good friends with Ledger after directing him in 1999’s Two Hands - announced the formation of a Heath Ledger scholarship fund to help struggling Australian actors.

Long before the success of Brokeback Mountain, the director recalled, Ledger was just “your old, broke Aussie actor.” Once, things got so bad, in fact, Jordan said he had to loan his friend a few hundred bucks.

A Generous Heart

While details of the scholarship are still “a little sketchy,” Jordan admitted, the plan is to select one young Australian actor each year and give him or her the chance to “crack it” in Hollywood. (The first scholarship is due to be awarded in 2009.)

“It’s going to involve a number of benefactors and there’s been a lot of interest already,” the director explained. His voice cracking with emotion, he added: “I was talking to Michelle Williams, his partner and the mother of his child, today and Michelle has said she would be very proud and happy to be the first benefactor.”

At that pronouncement, the crowd erupted in loud applause.

Although Ledger’s father, Kim, could not attend, he did ask for a letter to be read aloud. “We know that Heath would be proud of his attachment to this scholarship,” wrote the surviving Ledger. “%26#91;It%26#93; does what Heath has done personally during the last 10 years …, %26#91;supporting%26#93; Australian actors, singers, directors or writers who seek to supply their talents to the U.S.A.”

One of the night’s honorees, Abbie Cornish, also paid tribute to Ledger, her costar in 2006’s Candy. “Heath’s a magical guy,” she told PEOPLE. “Really incredible in every way - as a human being and as an artist.”

• Reporting by BETH PERRY and MARY MARGARET

PHOTO SPECIAL
Heath Ledger’s Life in Pictures

After nearly five months, Mary-Kate Olsen still refuses to speak about the fact that she was the first person called after Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment.

“I’m not going to comment on that,” Olsen, who turns 22 on June 13, tells Elle in its July issue. “I won’t give you a word about that in the nicest way possible. Let’s move on.”