2-6-08

The office of the New York City medical examiner announced its findings today from a two week investigation of the death of Heath Ledger, age 28, and ruled the actor’s death to be due to an accidental overdose of prescription medications. At the time of his death, Ledger, who was having sleeping problems after working on the film Batman: The Dark Knight and had contracted a respitory illness during filming of Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, was taking OxyContin and hydrocodone for pain, Valium and Xanax for anxiety, and sleep aids Restoril and Unisom. Though the medical examiner’s office did not say how much of each drug Ledger had in his body, it announced in a news release that Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine, all doctor prescribed.

Ledger’s body was discovered on January 22^nd by his housekeeper and a massage therapist who had arrived for an appointment and who apparently contacted Ledger’s friend actress Mary Kate Olsen for advice before contacting police. Police say that Ledger had been dead for some time before he was discovered and that no foul play occurred. Six types of prescription drugs were found in Ledger’s bedroom and bathroom.

Ledger, who complained in a recent interview about his sleeping problems, was in the middle of filming the Gilliam film, which has now put its production on hold. Ledger apparently had completed his work as the Joker in Batman: The Dark Knight, but an ad campaign for the summer 2008 megafilm that prominently featured his character might be scrapped.

Ledger’s body is being transferred to his hometown of Perth, Australia, where his family is preparing for the funeral.