How did Heath Ledger die?

Actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Lower Manhattan apartment, the New York Police Department said.

"Pills were found in the vicinity of the bed," police spokesman Paul Browne told CNN.

"This is being looked at as a possible overdose, but that is not confirmed yet."

The pills appeared to be over-the-counter sleeping medication, said police spokeswoman Barbara Chen.

Ledger was unresponsive when he was found by a housekeeper who had gone to wake him for an appointment with a masseuse in the Soho apartment, Browne said.

The apartment is owned by the actress Mary-Kate Olsen, The New York Times reported.

Ledger was declared dead at about 3:30 p.m., Browne said.

Some other said:

most reports say overdose, but my friend heard a rumor saying he hanged himself (not true!!).... be careful where your information comes from, some sources are more reliable than others

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/22/heath.ledger.dead/index.html

Heath Ledger '[Felt] Good About Dying Now'

 While the media whips itself into a frenzy trying to deny Heath Ledger's family's assertion that his death was accidental, they have uncovered a recent radio interview in which the actor discussed his feelings about dying with respect to his now being a father to Matilda, two:
"I guess you're forced into kind of respecting yourself more, you learn more about yourself through your child, I guess," he told WJW FOX in Cleveland, Ohio.
"You also look at death differently.

"It's like a catch 22. I feel good about dying now because I feel like I'm alive in her.

"But at the same time, you don't want to die because you want to be around for the rest of her life."

We are very much inclined to think that, while Ledger was often reported as "troubled" or dark, this interview is nothing more than a man talking about how parenthood has changed him.

Hopefully this won't be the beginning of a comprehensive raking over of everything he ever said about dying, drugs or depression for some "evidence" that his death was a suicide, in some sort of rabid media version of the search for 'the golden ticket'.

1:36 PM on Wed Jan 23 2008
by Clem Bastow
comment

Heath Ledger's death an accident - Family

January 23, 2008, 06:15

The death of Heath Ledger was a tragic accident, his Australian family said today after the actor was found dead at his Manhattan apartment.

"We, Heath's family, can confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda," his father Kim said, reading from a statement outside the family home in Perth.

Ledger, the gifted leading man acclaimed for his role as a gay cowboy in the film Brokeback Mountain, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment today, possibly of a drug overdose, police said.

The Australian-born Ledger, 28, was found face down and naked at the foot of the bed by a housekeeper at his apartment in the SoHo neighborhood, police spokesperson Paul Browne said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene but no cause had been determined. "We are investigating the possibility of an overdose. ... There were pills within the vicinity of the bed," Browne said, adding that the prescription medicine included sleeping pills.

The housekeeper found Ledger at 3:26 p.m. and tried to wake him for his appointment with a masseuse, who was also in the home, Browne said.

Preliminary investigation
A medical examiner conducted a preliminary investigation and Ledger's body was wheeled out of the fifth-floor apartment in a stretcher, covered in a black body bag, about three hours after he was found.

Screen star Mel Gibson, who starred alongside Ledger in the film "The Patriot," said his thoughts and prayers were with the younger actor's family.

"I had such great hope for him," Gibson said in a statement released by his publicist. "He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss."

Ledger was nominated for an Academy Award as best lead actor for 2005's "Brokeback Mountain," but the Oscar went to Philip Seymour Hoffman for his role as Truman Capote. Ledger did win a New York Film Critics Circle award for the role.

The handsome star last year broke up with actress Michelle Williams, who played his wife in "Brokeback" and was the real-life mother of their 2-year-old daughter, Matilda.

Horribly sad
He once said he was ready to die because he could live on in his child.

"Having a child changes every aspect of your life - for the better, of course. The sacrifices are large, but what you get in return is even bigger than the sacrifices you make. I feel, in a sense, ready to die because you are living on in your child," Ledger told In Touch Weekly in November.

The couple tried to keep a low profile by living in Brooklyn but still appeared often in the gossip pages. He moved to Manhattan after the breakup.

"He was a very simple guy. You wouldn't know he was an actor unless you saw him on TV," Tamba Mossa, the building's superintendent, told reporters.

A crowd of about 200 people and 75 reporters gathered outside his building on Broome Street, with fans snapping pictures on their cell phones.

"I feel a bit silly being one of the ones gawking, but it's horribly sad. In 'Brokeback Mountain,' it was one of the first times I was moved by an actor of my own generation," said Drew Klein, 25, who works in film production.

"He means a lot to us. We look up to actors like Heath Ledger," said Jack Payne, 20, an acting student.

Ledger's other film credits included "Monster's Ball" and the title role in "Casanova." He was due to appear this year as The Joker in the next Batman film by Warner Bros., "The Dark Knight," which completed filming.

He stars in the currently playing "I'm Not There," one of several actors playing a role representing Bob Dylan.

"The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news. The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent," Alan Horn, president and COO of Warner Bros. and Jeff Robinov, president of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, said in a statement.

"Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person. Our hearts go out to his family and friends." - Reuters