AFP - 1 hour 44 minutes
ago
Actor Heath
Ledger found dead at 28
NEW YORK (AFP) - - Actor Heath Ledger, 28, who rocketed to fame in
his role as a gay cowboy in the Oscar-winning movie "Brokeback
Mountain," was found dead in a New York residence on Tuesday,
police said.
Police sources told US media that prescription pills were found in
the apartment and said signs pointed to either an accidental
overdose or suicide. His family in his native Australia described
the death as "accidental."
"We, Heath's family can confirm the very tragic, untimely and
accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting
father of Matilda," said the actor's mother Kim Ledger, reading a
statement outside the family home in Perth.
"He was a down-to-earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving,
unselfish individual who was extremely inspirational to
many."
Ledger was found dead at 3:26 pm (2036 GMT) on Tuesday, a New York
police spokesman said, saying he was found in an apartment in the
posh district of Soho.
An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday.
New York City deputy police commissioner Paul Browne said a
masseuse and a housekeeper discovered the actor's body after the
masseuse arrived for an appointment.
They were "waiting for him to come out of the bedroom. When he
didn't come out, they checked on him and found the body at the foot
of the bed," Browne told reporters.
"There were prescription medications that included sleeping pills
that were taken from the apartment. The reports that they were
scattered around the body were untrue," said Browne.
"The police department has made no determination as to the cause of
death," he said, stressing that police were awaiting the medical
examiner's report.
Expressions of sorrow poured in from Hollywood.
"The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news," Warner
Brothers chief Alan Horn and Warner Bros Picture Group president
Jeff Robinov said in a statement.
"The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent. Heath was
a brilliant actor and an exceptional person. Our hearts go out to
his family and friends."
Ledger, who was nominated for a best actor Oscar for his
performance in the 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain," had separated
from his former fiancee Michelle Williams in September. The pair,
who met on the set of the Ang Lee-directed drama, have a
two-year-old daughter, Matilda Rose.
Ledger had been working this month on his latest movie, "The
Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," directed by Terry Gilliam, which
was due out next year. He also portrays The Joker in the upcoming
Batman movie "Dark Knight."
Lee had hailed Ledger's performance in "Brokeback Mountain" as a
"miracle" of acting, reminiscent of a young Marlon Brando.
Ledger missed out on the Oscar for best actor in 2006, but
"Brokeback Mountain" won three Academy Awards, including for best
director.
The flaxen-haired heart throb first came to prominence by acting as
a homosexual athlete in a little-known Australian soap opera,
"Sweat," in 1996.
The creator and writer of the series, John Rapsey, once said it was
clear even then that Ledger, then a 16-year-old sports champion and
high school dropout, possessed an unusual talent.
"He himself had absolutely no problem playing the role. He handled
all of that with great aplomb," Rapsey told AFP.
"What was noticeable about him was he was concentrated, very quiet,
and you could see that he was really observant of other
people."
Ledger never attended acting school and left his home state of
Western Australia for Sydney as a teenager.
"The one thing that's got me to where I'm sitting is my instincts,
you know, and I'm impatient. I didn't want to wait for years to
work. I wanted to just get out there and do it," he told Australian
television in 2001.
At 19, Ledger left Sydney for Hollywood, where his talent was
spotted by Mel Gibson when auditioning 500 actors for the role of
his son in "The Patriot" -- a break that led to his leading role in
"A Knight's Tale."
"I had such great hope for him," Gibson said 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."
