www.tmz.com http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/22/heath.ledger.dead/index.html 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. Heath Ledger was found dead in a Manhattan apartment. more photos » The Academy Award nominated actor was 28. "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. Ledger was declared dead at about 3:30 p.m., Browne said. Showbiz Tonight Watch complete coverage of the sudden death of actor Heath Ledger. Tonight, 11 ET/PT on Headline News see full schedule » 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. 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. Don't Miss People.com: Heath Ledger's biography I-Report: Share your photos, memories of Heath Ledger "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." 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." 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." E-mail to a friend
i feel bad for the daughter as well I'm not heartless or anything, but if it comes out that he actually did OD on pills...I cant feel sorry for him. You do stupid things, you have to be able to handle the consequences, no matter how drastic they may be. Well see what becomes of this though
