Heath Ledger Dead At 28
Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger, 28, was found dead in his New York City apartment Tuesday, a New York Police Department spokesman confirmed.
Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the SoHo apartment that is believed to be his home, according to NYPD spokesman Paul Browne. A housekeeper went to let Ledger know the masseuse was there, and they found him dead at approximately 2:45 p.m, Browne said.
Ledger did not respond when they shook him, and the two called police, The New York Times reports. Ledger was found “naked and unconscious on a bed, with sleeping pills — both prescription medication and nonprescription — on a night table,” according to The New York Times. Ledger was pronounced dead at 3:45 p.m. Authorities said they did not suspect foul play.
"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."
In a November 4, 2007 interview with The New York Times, Ledger discussed his upcoming role in the Batman sequel entitled The Dark Knight. "Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night," he said. "I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going." The Times noted that one night he took an Ambien, which failed to work. He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing.
An insider who worked with Heath Ledger on The Dark Knight tells Star: “When I was working with Heath on Batman, he was very withdrawn; he wanted to spend a lot of time alone and not associate with the cast; he was very quirky and weird. At first we thought he was just getting into character, but then we quickly realized something was wrong and we all suspected drug use, although none of us knew for sure; there were rumors all over the set that something was not right with him.”Meanwhile, The New York Times initially reported the apartment Ledger was found in was owned by Mary-Kate Olsen. However, Olsen's rep denied that she owned that apartment. “She does not own the apartment," Annette Wolf, a publicist for Olsen said. "She has never owned the apartment. She and her sister have an apartment in New York City but they are not in this building.” The building's superintendent told Star that Ledger was renting the apartment, he did not own it.
Ledger, who was nominated for an Oscar for Brokeback Mountain, began dating his co-star Michelle Williams after they met on the set of the movie. Together they had a daughter, Matilda, 2. The couple split in September 2007.
Fellow Australian Nicole Kidman released a statement to Extra with her condolences. “What a tragedy," said Kidman. My heart goes out to his family.” Ledger dated Nicole Kidman's good friend Naomi Watts on-and-off for two years.
"Naomi Watts is devastated," a friend tells Star. "She texted me, 'This is a tragedy.' I think she was in love with Heath when they dated and she had great respect for him as an artist. She has moved on, she is so happy with Liev [Schreiber], but a part of her was still with Heath. She felt for him. I think she is really broken up."
"Heath has been really depressed since Michelle split," says the source. "He has been really grumpy. He wasn't showering and he'd wear the same clothes all the time, over and over again. He smelled bad. Everyone knew he was really disturbed. But I don't think it was a suicide. He was making plans to do more movies. He was really excited about this film called Heart Shaped Box with Neil Jordan. He also said he wanted to star in a musical. He was trying to be a bigger part of his daughter's life. I don't think he was planning on exiting this life right now."
"That is so tragic. He led a great life," said Adrian Grenier after Star broke the news to him about Heath's passing.
Verne Troyer -- who gained fame playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies and recently worked with Heath on the still-unreleased fantasy film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus -- tells Star, "My thoughts and prayers are with Heath's family and friends. I admired Heath as an actor and a friend. He will be sadly missed."
Mel Gibson, who played Ledger's father in The Patriot, said, "I had such great hope for him. He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss."
According to a Star reporter on the scene, the medical examiner wheeled Ledger's body out of the apartment building just before 6:30 pm/ET. An autopsy is expected to be conducted on Wednesday.
TMZ is reporting that Heath Ledger was sick with pneumonia when he died.
Click here for Star Editorial Director Bonnie Fuller's take on Heath Ledger's untimely death.
