Heath Ledger Dead at 28

[lnxguru]

By TOM HAYS, Associated Press Writer 10 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan residence, and police said drugs may have been a factor. He was 28. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Manhattan apartment believed to be his home. The housekeeper who went to let him know the masseuse had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

A large crowd of paparazzi and gawkers began gathering Tuesday evening outside the building on an upscale block in SoHo, where several police officers guarded the door.

The Australian-born actor was nominated for an Oscar for "Brokeback Mountain," where he met Michelle Williams in 2005. The two had lived in Brooklyn and had a daughter, Matilda, until they split up last year.

He most recently appeared in "I'm Not There," in which he played one of the many incarnations of Bob Dylan — as did Cate Blanchett, whose performance in that film earned an Oscar nomination Tuesday for best supporting actress.

Ledger was to appear as the Joker this year in "The Dark Night," a sequel to 2005's "Batman Begins." He's had starring roles in "A Knight's Tale" and "The Patriot," and played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in "Monster's Ball."

Ledger grew up in Perth, and began doing amateur theater at age 10. At 16, he moved to Sydney to pursue an acting career, quickly landing TV movie roles and guest spots on Australian television.

After several independent films and a starring role in the short-lived Fox TV series "Roar," Ledger moved to Los Angeles and costarred in "10 Things I Hate About You," a teen comedy reworking of "The Taming of the Shrew."

Offers for other teen flicks came his way, but Ledger turned them down, preferring to remain idle than sign on for projects he didn't like.

"It wasn't a hard decision for me," Ledger told the Associated Press in 2001. "It was hard for everyone else around me to understand. Agents were like, `You're crazy,' my parents were like, `Come on, you have to eat.'"
Source: AP via Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080122/ap_en_ce/obit_ledger)

[Azeron]

Wow, what a shame, he had a great career still ahead of him. :(

[mdp 73]

I saw the trailer for Batman and thought he looked awesome as the new Joker. It's too bad hollywood has to get so caught up on alcohol and drugs.

[Veritas347]

Seriously when I read this on Yahoo I was so pissed. He was a great actor and still young might I add he could have done so much more. I loved almost all of his movies (never watched Brokeback). I just wish this hadn't have happened but some good things must come to an end

[antilucid]

NEW YORK - Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan apartment, and police said drugs may have been a factor. The Australian-born actor was 28. Police said Ledger was naked in his bed with an unknown number of sleeping pills near the body.

Ledger had an appointment for a massage at a residence in the tony SoHo neighborhood, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. A housekeeper who went to let him know the massage therapist had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

A large crowd of paparazzi and gawkers began gathering Tuesday evening outside the building on an upscale block, where several police officers guarded the door. The medical examiner's office planned an autopsy on Wednesday, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

While not a marquee movie star, Ledger was a respected, award-winning actor who took his craft seriously rather than cashing in on his heartthrob looks. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," where he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the film. The two had a daughter, Matilda, and lived together in Brooklyn until they split up last year.

Ledger most recently appeared in "I'm Not There," in which he played one of the many incarnations of Bob Dylan ƒƒ‚‚ as did Cate Blanchett, whose performance in that film earned an Oscar nomination Tuesday for best supporting actress.

Ledger had finished filming his role as the Joker this year in "The Dark Knight," a sequel to 2005's "Batman Begins."

He's had starring roles in "A Knight's Tale" and "The Patriot," and played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in "Monster's Ball." He also played a heroin addict in the 2006 Australian film "Candy."

Before settling down with Williams, Ledger had relationships with actresses Heather Graham and Naomi Watts. He met Watts while working on "The Lords of Dogtown," a fictionalized version of a cult classic skateboarding documentary, in 2004.

Ledger was born in 1979 in Perth, in western Australia, to a mining engineer and a French teacher, and got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 at a local theater company. He began acting in independent films as a 16-year-old in Sydney and played a cyclist hoping to land a spot on an Olympic team in a 1996 television show, "Seat."

After several independent films, Ledger moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and co-starred opposite Julia Stiles in "10 Things I Hate About You," a teen comedy reworking of "The Taming of the Shrew." His movie career caught on soon after that, culminating with his Academy Award nomination for "Brokeback Mountain."

"Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan said earlier this month that Ledger's performance as the Joker would be wildly different than Jack Nicholson's memorable turn in 1989's "Batman."

"It was a very great challenge for Heath," Nolan had said. "He's extremely original, extremely frightening, tremendously edgy. A very young character, a very anarchic presence that taps into a lot of our basic fears and panic."

___

[Brighton X]

Nice find, but lnxguru beat you to it. And I din't see it in that article but the apartment he died in belonged to Mary-Kate Olsen of the Olsen twins. Sad that he died so young.

[Haly]

RIP :( Really sad news.

[Brighton X]

It's a sad day. It also doesn't say this in the thread, but the Apartment was owned by Mary-Kate Olsen.

[lnxguru]

It's a sad day. It also doesn't say this in the thread, but the Apartment was owned by Mary-Kate Olsen.

I didn't post the comment about it being Mary Kate's apartment because I only found it in one article. The NY Times is the only publication I saw that is saying that, and they've already edited it out of their article (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/22/actor-heath-ledger-is-found-dead/).

[iJohn]

Very sad. I was interested by that May-Kate Olsen statement. It is very weird and suspicious with the NY Post taking that little piece of information out. I saw it earlier, and it is edited out now as lnx said.

[Brighton X]

I didn't post the comment about it being Mary Kate's apartment because I only found it in one article. The NY Times is the only publication I saw that is saying that, and they've already edited it out of their article (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/22/actor-heath-ledger-is-found-dead/).
Oh the only story I heard said it was Mary Kate's, guess I must have herad that story.

[lnxguru]

Very sad. I was interested by that May-Kate Olsen statement. It is very weird and suspicious with the NY Post taking that little piece of information out. I saw it earlier, and it is edited out now as lnx said.

I just now found it over at US Magazine (http://www.usmagazine.com/exclusive_health_ledgers_friend_we_saw_it_coming) too, but as I would only use them as a reliable source of gossip and not news... :rolleyes:

Yes, I said US ... I don't read it, but I am a news junkie, so deal :)

[NATERZ]

That's way too bad. I suppose that the good die young. That just goes to show you that you never know when it will be your time to go. May Heath rest in peace.

[Shutup23]

Why must the good die young?:(

[Anti Hero]

That sucks :(

I loved his movie the a knights tale!

[EuPHoriC PoisoN]

Rest in peace, Heath. He had such a promising career ahead.

Clipse, let's keep this thread going. The autopsy is happening tomorrow I think. So we should post up the results asap.

[lnxguru]

NEW YORK -- The medical examiner's office told NewsChannel 4 that an autopsy on actor Heath Ledger was inconclusive, and more tests are needed.

"The autopsy is inconclusive and we have to do further testing, which includes toxicology and tissue testing. We expect to have results in about 10 days to two weeks," spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

She said the timeframe for the results could be shorter or longer.

Ledger's body was released around 2 p.m. Wednesday and taken to the Frank E. Campbell funeral home on Madison Avenue at his father's request, according to a medical examiner spokeswoman.

Ledger was found dead, face down on his bed and naked by his housekeeper at 3:26 p.m. on Tuesday. The housekeeper was trying to let him know that a masseuse had arrived for an appointment, police said.

Police sources said investigators found two bottles of sleeping and anti-anxiety pills at the apartment.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said a rolled-up $20 bill was found at the scene and sent to a lab for testing for any possible drug residue. Kelly added that no illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia were found in the apartment. He said testing of the bill is a routine step given where and how it was found.

Kelly said it appears no crime was committed.

Police said an accidental overdose of prescription drugs remains the leading theory. But officials were awaiting test results by the medical examiner.

Police sources said no suicide note had been recovered.

The apartment, which Ledger had rented for the last three or four months, was neat, a law enforcement told WNBC.

The New York City Medical Examiner's Office conducted the autopsy Wednesday, saying the cause of death is still uncertain. NYPD spokesman Browne said there was no obvious indication of suicide.

While not a marquee movie star, Ledger was a respected, award-winning actor who chose his roles carefully rather than cashing in on his heartthrob looks. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," where he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the 2005 film. The two had a daughter, now 2-year-old Matilda, and lived together until they split up last year.

The death was a shocking and unforeseen conclusion for one of Hollywood's bright young stars. 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 dramatic and brooding roles with 2001's "Monster's Ball."

Ledger eschewed Hollywood glitz in favor of a bohemian life in Brooklyn, where he was one of the borough's most famous residents before moving to Manhattan. "Brokeback" would be his breakthrough role, establishing him as one of his generation's finest talents and an actor willing to take risks.

Ledger told The New York Times in November that he "stressed out a little too much" during the filming of the Bob Dylan film "I'm Not There," and had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker in "Dark Knight," whom he called a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."

In what may be his final finished performance, Ledger proved that he wouldn't be intimidated by taking on a character as iconic as Jack Nicholson's Joker, playing the comic-book villain in a sequel to "Batman Begins."

Before settling down with Williams, Ledger had relationships with actresses Heather Graham and Naomi Watts.

Ledger was born in 1979 in Perth, in western Australia, to a mining engineer and a French teacher, and got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 at a local theater company. He began acting in independent films as a 16-year-old in Sydney.
Source: WNBC 4HD (http://www.wnbc.com/entertainment/15113586/detail.html?dl=mainclick)

[Burner110]

Thats really sad he was a good actor and he was really young

p.s. Didnt he just have a kid?

[lnxguru]

p.s. Didnt he just have a kid?

yup ... and he gave an interview a few months back saying something along the lines of he'd be Ok if he were to die now as he'd live on through his daughter.

[Burner110]

yup ... and he gave an interview a few months back saying something along the lines of he'd be Ok if he were to die now as he'd live on through his daughter.

Well that makes it even more sad seeing that his daughter will never know really know him:(