Heath Ledger found dead in Manhattan Home.

[Simmzay]

I liked a lot of his movies, he was a pretty good actor.

R.I.P

[J1MI]

R.I.P Heath Ledger, he was a great actor, I grew up on 10 Things I Hate About You, watched it at least 20 times.

[Funshine]

Heath Ledger
R.I.P always



Ledger's death an accident, says family

Australian actor Heath Ledger's death at 28 from a possible overdose of sleeping pills was a tragic accident, his family says.

Ledger's naked body was found in his bed in his luxury apartment in New York's SoHo district, and prescribed sleeping pills were found nearby, police said.


The Perth-born actor's death has left Matilda, his two-year-old daughter with American actor Michelle Williams, without a father.

Shocked by Ledger's death, the movie industry paid tribute to the rising star who shunned the Hollywood limelight but whose talent earned him an Oscar nomination for his role as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain.

Early reports of Ledger's death prompted speculation of drug abuse or even suicide.

But Ledger's grief-stricken parents, who are believed to have heard the news on the radio, told reporters in Perth that his death was "tragic, untimely and accidental".

"He was found peacefully asleep in his New York apartment by his housekeeper at 3.30pm US time," his father Kim Ledger said.

"Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life ... few had the pleasure of truly knowing him."

Police sources said prescription pills were found in Ledger's apartment and said signs pointed to either an accidental overdose or suicide.

"The police department has made no determination as to the cause of death," said New York City deputy police commissioner Paul Browne.

Police could not confirm reports that Ledger had been suffering from pneumonia.

Ledger was reported to be taking a sleeping tablet called Ambien, marketed in Australia as Stilnox, which is not recommended for people with respiratory disease.

Ledger had recently admitted to taking sleeping pills after finding it hard to wind down from his role as Bob Dylan in the film I'm Not there.

A housekeeper, who had been working in Ledger's $US23,000 ($A26,500) a month rented apartment, found Ledger unconscious at 3.26pm (0726 AEDT), after he could not be roused for a massage appointment.

Attempts to revive him failed.

Police said the housekeeper had been in the apartment for up to three hours before Ledger was found, raising the tragic possibility that his life might have been saved if he'd been found earlier.

It was a shocking end for one of Hollywood's bright young stars, who has been compared to a young Marlon Brando.

Though his leading-man looks propelled him to early stardom in films like 10 Things I Hate About You and A Knight's Tale, his career took a notable turn toward more dramatic and brooding roles with 2001's Monster's Ball, in which he played a suicidal prison guard.

That led to an Oscar nomination in 2006 for his performance in Brokeback Mountain. During filming he met co-star Williams, from whom he separated last year.

Williams was reportedly on her way to New York and has not commented on the death.

Her father Larry Williams said the news was heartbreaking for everyone, but most especially for his young granddaughter Matilda.

"The saddest thing is his daughter whom he just loved dearly," Williams, speaking in Sydney, told News Ltd.

Mel Gibson, who gave Ledger his first Hollywood break in the 2000 film The Patriot, said Ledger's death was a tragic loss.

"I had such great hope for him," Gibson told the Entertainment Tonight website.

"He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."

Gibson once described Ledger as possessing "the unknown factor" that "sort of lights up the screen".

Nicole Kidman, whose best friend, Australian actor Naomi Watts, had a long relationship with Ledger, said it was a terrible tragedy for Ledger's family.

"My heart goes out to Heath's family," she said through her publicist Wendy Day.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Australia had "lost one of our nation's finest actors in the prime of his life".

"Heath Ledger's diverse and challenging roles will be remembered as some of the great performances by an Australian actor," Rudd said.

Ledger's publicist Mara Buxbaum appealed for the media to not speculate on how Ledger died.

"This is an extremely difficult time for his loved ones and we are asking the media to please respect the family's privacy and avoid speculation until the facts are known," Buxbaum said.

Representatives of the family told the celebrity website TMZ.com that police had advised them Ledger's death was entirely accidental.

A crowd of paparazzi and onlookers gathered tonight outside the apartment building where Ledger was found.

The medical examiner's office will conduct an autopsy, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

Ledger had a successful television and independent movie career in Australia, but he quickly decided he would try to crack Hollywood and moved to the US at the age of 19.

He had early success with teen flicks, but made a conscious decision four years ago to carefully sculpt his career, seeking out work with acclaimed directors such as Brokeback's Ang Lee.

Brokeback Mountain, made in 2005, was his breakthrough role, establishing him as one of his generation's finest talents and an actor willing to take risks.

He also earned high praise for his role in the Dylan movie I'm Not There, alongside Cate Blanchett, whose performance in the film earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.

And in what may be his final finished performance, Ledger showed that he would not be intimidated by taking on the character of the Joker in the latest Batman movie - a role made famous by Jack Nicholson.

Ledger's version of the Batman villain, glimpsed in early trailers, made it clear that his Joker would be less comical and more depraved and dark.

Ledger told The New York Times in November that he "stressed out a little too much" during the Dylan film, and had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker, whom he called a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy".

"Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night," Ledger told the Times.

"I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going." He said he took two Ambien pills, which only worked for an hour, the paper said.

Ledger relished fatherhood and credited it with adding new depth to his performances. But he also said it made him "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," he recently told WJW FOX in Cleveland, Ohio.

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