Heath Ledger Found Dead

Heath Ledger, the gifted actor known his role as a gay cowboy in the film "Brokeback Mountain," was found dead in his Manhattan apartment today, possibly of a drug overdose, police said. The Australian-born Ledger, 28, was found face down and naked at the foot of the bed by a housekeeper at his apartment in the SoHo neighborhood, police spokesman Paul Browne said. He was pronounced dead at the scene but no cause had been determined.
"We are investigating the possibility of an overdose. ... There were pills within the vicinity of the bed," Browne said, adding that the prescription medicine included sleeping pills. The housekeeper found Ledger at 3:26 p.m., and tried to wake him for his appointment with a masseuse, who was also in the home, Browne said. A medical examiner conducted a preliminary investigation and Ledger's body was wheeled out of the fifth-floor apartment in a stretcher, covered in a black body bag, about three hours after he was found. Screen star Mel Gibson, who starred alongside Ledger in the film "The Patriot," said his thoughts and prayers were with the younger actor's family. "I had such great hope for him," Gibson said in a statement released by his publicist. "He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss." Ledger was nominated for an Academy Award as best lead actor for 2005's "Brokeback Mountain," but the Oscar went to Philip Seymour Hoffman for his role as Truman Capote. Ledger did win a New York Film Critics Circle award for the role. The star was separated from his long time girlfriend -- Michelle Williams, who played his wife in "Brokeback" and was the real-life mother of their 2-year-old daughter, Matilda. The couple tried to keep a low profile by living in Brooklyn but still appeared often in the gossip pages. He moved to Manhattan after the breakup. A crowd of about 200 people and 75 reporters gathered outside his building on Broome Street, with fans snapping pictures on their cell phones. Ledger's other film credits included "Monster's Ball" and the title role in "Casanova." He was due to appear this year as The Joker in the next Batman film by Warner Bros., "The Dark Knight," which completed filming.