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.

Anyone else think it had to be accidental? I just don't see making an appointment for a massage if you're going to kill yourself. And they were prescription sleeping pills. Why take sleeping pills before a massage? And then throw them all over the place.

Actor Found Dead
Link
1/22/08


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 — 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."

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You don't OD on sleeping pills you commit suicide with sleeping pills and frankly that makes his death much much much less tragic then 1000's of other people who will die today yet you don't see people gushing about them all over the news and net but I guess the ability to act makes him important

You don't OD on sleeping pills you commit suicide with sleeping pills and frankly that makes his death much much much less tragic then 1000's of other people who will die today yet you don't see people gushing about them all over the news and net but I guess the ability to act makes him important

lovemachine said:

You don't OD on sleeping pills you commit suicide with sleeping pills and frankly that makes his death much much much less tragic then 1000's of other people who will die today yet you don't see people gushing about them all over the news and net but I guess the ability to act makes him important

lovemachine said:

It's not more or less tragic or important than any death of any random person. The reason people care is because they "know him" through his work.

Isn't the suicide of a young person tragic?

lovemachine said:

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."

lovemachine said:

What the fuck are you talking about? This is a thread about his death and nobody is ignoring other tragedies because of this.

WET. BLANKET.!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

He's just not happy unless he's posting pictures of himself in his running shorts

NDRU said:

yeah, but we its all about perspective though. we do allow ourselves to get swept up at times like this...cha know what i mean?

sosgemini said:

It's perfectly okay for me to be sad about someone passing on whose work brought me happiness.

Is every thread on here just an opportunity for people to shit on someone else's parade?

Stymie said:

sure...why not?

sosgemini said:

Are you forgetting your reaction in a certain P&R thread?!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

ohh...i was just teasing...im sleepy...ive had a long day.