NEW YORK (CNN) — Actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Lower Manhattan apartment, the New York Police Department said.
The Academy Award-nominated actor was 28.
Ledger was found naked and unresponsive, facedown on the floor at the foot of his bed by a housekeeper trying to wake him for an appointment with a masseuse, said police spokesman Paul Browne.
“Pills were found in the vicinity of the bed,” he told CNN.
“This is being looked at as a possible overdose, but that is not confirmed yet.”
Browne later told reporters some prescription medications were found in the room, including sleeping pills.
But he stressed police have made no determination of the cause of Ledger’s death — that would be done by the medical examiner.
He said the pills were not “scattered about.”
No note was found and there was no indication of foul play, Browne said. Ledger was found at about 3 p.m., and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel about 3:30 p.m.
A crowd of onlookers, photographers and reporters gathered outside the apartment building after news of Ledger’s death was reported. Police officers were guarding the doors.
Browne said he did not know how long Ledger had been renting the apartment, which he said took up the entire fourth floor.
An autopsy would be conducted on Wednesday, said Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the New York City medical examiner’s office.
Ledger’s family called his death “untimely and accidental,” The Associated Press reported.
“He was a down-to-earth, generous, kindhearted, life-loving, unselfish individual extremely inspirational to many,” his father said, according to the AP.
“Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life that few had the pleasure of truly knowing him.”
Hollywood reacts
Condolences began pouring in from Ledger’s friends and co-stars.
“I had such great hope for him,” said Mel Gibson, who played Ledger’s father in “The Patriot,” in a statement.
“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.”
Actress Nicole Kidman, a fellow Australian and close friend of Ledger’s, said in a statement, “What a tragedy. My heart goes out to his family.”
At the time of his death, Ledger had just finished playing the villain The Joker in “The Dark Knight,” the latest installment in the Batman series. The film is to open in July.
Ledger was born in Perth, Australia, and named Heathcliff Andrew after the main characters of Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights.” He began acting at a local theater as a child.
Ledger’s first American film was the teen comedy “10 Things I Hate About You” in 1999, and he immediately attracted attention from Hollywood. He passed up several scripts before taking a role in the Revolutionary War drama “The Patriot” in 2000 and “A Knight’s Tale” in 2001. He also played a supporting role in “Monster’s Ball,” among other films.
“In a way I was spoon-fed a career,” he told the Glasgow Herald in 2005. “It was fully manufactured by a studio that believed it could put me on their posters and turn me into a product. … I hadn’t figured out properly how to act, and all of a sudden I was being thrown into these lead roles.”
Controversial role
But Ledger was perhaps best known for his 2005 portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in “Brokeback Mountain,” about two cowboys who had a secret romantic relationship. The role earned him an Oscar nomination.
“I felt that choices were being made for me, so I feel this has been my time now to find the good stories and test myself,” Ledger told the Glasgow Herald in the 2005 interview. “It has been an interesting year, where I finally have a sense of accomplishment.”
Asked how he felt about filming love scenes with another man, Ledger said he and his co-star Jake Gyllenhaal simply focused on their roles.
“We can’t say that we weren’t nervous about it,” Ledger told Oprah Winfrey in 2006. “But once the first take was over, it’s like, ‘OK. So what? It’s kissing another human being. How are we going to finish this scene? Let’s get on with it and let’s get out of here.’ ”
In a written statement, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said it mourns Ledger’s death, adding that his portrayal of Del Mar “changed hearts and minds in immeasurable ways.”
Ledger has a daughter, Matilda Rose, born in 2005 to his then-girlfriend, Michelle Williams, who played his on-screen wife, Alma, in “Brokeback Mountain.” The couple have since separated.
“He was just so respected in the industry,” said Kim Serafin, senior editor of In Touch Weekly.
“It’s just horribly tragic. He was just a fine actor and a good person, so this is horribly sad and very unexpected.”
Here is the CNN news video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA3P3E-shtAThat is the sad news on Heath Ledger’s Death
Chris Simmons seems to be speaking out of two sides of his face. One one hand he seems to be expressing anger that homosexuality will “never be accepted in America” and sympathy for Ledger who had to deal with the fact that he had to hide his homosexuality from the public as “a joker hiding his face.” On the other hand he goes on to speak with angry undertones that it will “never be accepted in America because it is a perversion and deviation in which all religons condemn. Chris Simmons is likely someone who is himself a homosexual and hiding as a “joker”. Why else would he project all of this church garbage unto someone who was working in Hollywood, the most warm and embracing community towards homosexuals that exists in this nation. Furthermore, Mr. Simmon’s comments that his publicist and agent should be blamed for his death indicate that Mr. Simmons is a pathogenic thinker without much common sense to begin with.
By calling homosexuality an “abomination”, the true God of the Bible has already made known His feelings about this grave sin in Gen 13: 13, Leviticus 18:22,24-30, Leviticus 20:13, Lev 20:13, 1 Kings 14:24, 1 Kings 15:11-12, Rom 1: 26-27, 31-32, Jude 1:7, I Cor 6, 9-10.
Therefore, attacking Chris Simmons, and asserting that homosexuality is equal to heterosexuality would, at best only, ganner one praise and honors from the gay and lesbian alliance, NAMBLA, ACLU, and probably B’nai B’rith. But of what use are such honors when faced with death and the prospect of God’s wrath? Better to forfeit useless honors from men than be on the receiving end of Divine Justice, and burning eternally in fire. Which one of you can dwell in everlasting fires?
Of course one can always say God does not exist, but this is something even homosexuals dare not assert. Instead, they twist scripture to fit their perversity. In order to justify sodomy, homosexuals will go to great lengths in spreading lies to further their agenda. Part of the homosexual agenda is to dismiss everything in Scripture that calls homosexuality a grave sin against God As an example, the openly “homosexual” Episcopal “Bishop” Gene Robinson of New Hampshire has said that Jesus Christ was a homosexual; a complete and disgusting lie.
Moreover, former homosexual Michael Glatze, a former editor of the homosexual magazine “Young Gay America” calls homosexual sex purely “lust-based. “It’s a neurotic process rather than a natural, normal one,” he writes.
Homosexuality is an “abomination”, excluding from the heavenly kingdom for the following two reasons:
It against nature: In the natural order planned by God, the purpose of the carnal union is generation, the natural fruit of the carnal union of man and woman. Therefore the carnal union of two persons of the same sex goes against the natural order planned by God.
It is against reason: Reason presupposes things as determined by nature, before disposing of other things according as it is fitting. Now, in matters of action, it is most grave and shameful to act against things as determined by nature. Therefore, since the homosexual transgresses that which has been determined by nature with regards to the use of sexual actions, it follows that he acts against reason.
Everybody knows that homosexuals are homosexuals! They themselves insist on being called Gays because the word “homosexual” rightfully has the connotation of something “deviant,’ “perverse,” “weird,” and “aberrant”. Truth is, that most of them aren’t “gay”. They’re actually quite unhappy.
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While I do not disagree that Homosexual people are equal; I completely whole-heartedly believe that…
A. Homosexuality is a degradation and perversion of sex. It accomplishes nothing, it ruins the equilibrium of a family, and it scars children. (usually adopted since Gay sex doesn’t = babies.)
B. People who are homosexual are usually like that because they need a place to fit in. (ex(s). the lisp, the feminine or over-the-top style, talking about sex overly and flirting with people of the same gender more then other flirt with people of the opposite gender, and many more) I have had many friends who act/talk/dress completely normal then “come out of the closet” and develop a lisp over-night.
C. Sexual degradation is one of the many signs of a falling and corrupt Empire. There are many examples of this some being Rome and Greece.
You know what MLG? It’s the ones like Chris Simmons who are the reason for so much crime and ignorance in the world. Its the ones like him who cant comprehend that life is more than what he sees and refuses to except. Its the ones like him who live life with blind folds on and die alone.
I am a straight guy, married with children. I to was like Mr. Chris Simmons just a few years ago. I was a gay basher, hater, queer kicker, etc… Until, a gay gentleman who we had met through my sons work, opened my wife and I’s eyes. We were all attending a party in honor of my son and his fellow co-workers and, soon after we arrived, we were approached by this gay gentleman who refused to leave us alone and cotninuously wanted to talk to my wife and I.
Eventually, my wife and I gave up on trying to lose this guy and wound up talking, laughing and discussing things in the straight life and gay life for hours.
By the time the party was over, I hated myself for who I was before and loved the idea that this one person who stood in a different light than I could have opened my eyes to something I didnt really want to know about.
Mr. Simmons will hopefully soon have that same experience. That is all it takes is to sit down with people of a different light and get to know their world. Their way of thinking and put the shoe on the other foot just for that moment. You will become a new person with a whole new outlook on life and you will become more exceptable to other races, sexual orientations, colors, religions.
You might ask yourself, would I sleep with another man? My answer is NO! I do on the other hand except the gay lifestyle as an equal. We do now have gay friends and seem to get along with them just as well as our straight friends.
Will I ever go back to the person I was before that night at the party? NO! The only thing I will hate for the rest of my life is IGNORANCE!!!
It is a shame of Heath’s young death. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. What I do not understand is, if the role he played in the new Batman movie was to intense and dramatic for him, why didnt he just walk away? Why would he subdue himself to such pain just for a job? He chould have found something better and more enjoyable for his career. I would really hate to believe that he died from post dramatic stress. He was great in Brokeback Mountain.
My heart is broken to think about all his fans young and old, who idolized Mr. Ledger, and who now have to cope with the loss of their idol.
From what I have read about Mr. Ledger, he came into the acting business at a young age and hit the ground running. He knew exactly what he wanted out of life and he got it. For him to lose his life and not be able to enjoy what he had made of himself as a star, an icon and an idol to millions is a shame.
He was a very attractive man and had so much going for him. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those close to him and to also his millions of fans.
Rest in Peace Heath…REST IN PEACE!!
Chris Simmons: you are an idiot. LOL! If nothing else, your comments were entertaining…to think there are people like you who actually believe all the nonsense you wrote! Now that…is FUNNY! Lord help you.
he killed himself because he could not deal with the fact that he was homosexual. look at the role he had to except, the joker with full makeup hiding his face from the american public who know him as the face of homosexuality in america. this guy made the wrong career choice in choosing that homosexual role in broke back mountain. he had a wife and kid who was put through untold scrutiny because her husband and father is a known homosexual movie star. his agent and publicist should be held accountable for this guys death, they allowed and encouraged him to take that role. they didn’t care they just wanted to spread the homosexual lifestyle to the american public in a failed hope of legitamacy. homosexuality will never be accepted in america because it is a perversion and a deviation inwhich all religeons condemn as an act against nature and god. this guy could not handle the fact that no heterosexual man would never be cought dead in his presence because of a perception of being gay. straight men don’t hang with gay men. in the last few years gays have tried unsuccessfully to legitamize their perverted lifestyle but the overwhelming straight american public will not accept such degragation of character. it is probable that this guy was murdered by his gay lover. time will tell. all of the gay world is upset at their celebrity homosexual icon is dead and it will be downright scandalous when they find out that he was killed by some homophobe who was not putting up with his disrespectful gay advances toward him.
When someone dies, I do not understand why the media has to indicate that (s)he was naked. What does that add to the report? Leave some dignity for the deceased, for heaven’s sake.
Its “Massage Therapist” not masseuse.