Updated: Heath Ledger Dead at 28

Update: January 23, 2008

Actor Heath Ledger was taking prescribed sleeping pills and this medication was found at his bedside, indicating a possible accidental overdose or fatal drug reaction. An autoposy was performed today, but the results were inconclusive. The New York medical examiner’s office says it will take 10 days to conduct a full investigation and forensics analysis.

The crew of Ledger’s latest film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Terry Gilliam’s fantasy story also starring Christopher Plummer, about an acting troupe dealing with the Devil, has been dismissed in the wake of the star’s sudden death. Ledger was also apparently in preparations to make his feature directing debut, an adaptation of the Walter Tevis novel The Queen's Gambit, with British writer/producer Allan Scott, about a female chess prodigy. 

January 22, 2008

Oscar-nominated actor Heath Ledger was found by his housekeeper in his New York home today and pronounced dead by paramedics after what may have been a cardiac arrest. No cause of death has yet been announced. He was 28.

Born in Perth, Australia, Ledger first came to prominence as the star of Australian fantasy t.v. series Roar, playing a Celtic chieftain fighting off the Romans, and from his role in the 1999 film Two Hands. His American debut in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You got him noticed worldwide, as did his starring role in the 2001 movie A Knight’s Tale. He received critical acclaim for his roles in the films The Patriot and Monster’s Ball.

The 2005 hit movie Brokeback Mountain saw Ledger playing Ennis, a Wyoming ranch hand who falls in love with another man, but must keep the relationship secret his whole life. The role netted him Best Actor awards from the New York Film Critics Circle and the San Francisco Film Critics Circle and an Academy Award nomination.

Ledger had finished filming one of his biggest roles to date – playing the Joker in the Batman film The Dark Knight. Photos and trailer clips of Ledger as the Joker have been generating excitement among fans for the movie, which has Christian Bale reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Ledger was currently filming Terry Gilliam’s new fantasy movie, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, about an unusual acting troupe, at the time of his death.

Ledger leaves behind a daughter, Matilda Rose, from his relationship with ex-fiance and co-star Michelle Williams. The couple separated in September 2007.