Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Ledger death accidental, police say

Ledger death accidental, police say
Wednesday Jan 23 23:00 AEDT

Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose and not from suicide, according to reports.

Bottles of the generic forms of Xanax and Valium, both anti-anxiety drugs prescribed in his name, were found at his $26,000-a-month, three-bedroom loft apartment, the New York Post reported. (Map: Ledger's Soho address)

Police also found sleeping pills Donormyl, Zopiclone, and Ambien, the Post reported, quoting a police source who said: "it does not appear to be a suicide".

The 28-year-old actor was found nude, lying face down and unresponsive by his maid, Theresa Solomon, and masseuse Diane Lee at 3.20pm local time (7.20am AEDT) .


Ms Solomon said she had heard the actor snoring at midday.

The maid and therapist called 911 at 3.26pm. Emergency workers were unable to revive the star and he was pronounced dead at 3.35pm.

"We are investigating the possibility of an overdose," NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.

"There were pills within the vicinity of the bed."

One of the drugs at the scene, Ambien, is marketed as Stilnox in Australia and hit headlines last year when a national drug hotline fielded calls from users reporting strange side-effects. (Related article: Ledger's sleeping pill 'controversial')

In an interview with the New York Times last November, Ledger said he'd been taking Ambien which, according to the newspaper, "failed to work".

"He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing," the journalist reported. Some reports said Ledger was sick with pneumonia before he died.


Family grief

Ledger's family have expressed their grief at the "accidental" death of their son as they await an autopsy.

Ledger's father Kim, mother Sally and sister Kate described the late actor as "down-to-earth, generous, kind-hearted [and] life-loving". (Watch the video)

"We, Heath's family, confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda" Kim Ledger said, reading from a prepared statement.

"Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his life, but few have had the pleasure of truly knowing him."

Tributes poured in for the West Australian, including a remarkable endorsement from one of his oldest co-stars.

Legendary Australian actor Charles "Bud" Tingwell worked with Ledger on Ned Kelly and told A Current Affair Ledger was a "marvellous example" for young actors.

"You're never quite sure when you're an elderly actor who people are going to accept you but he was just marvellous," Tingwell said.

"Somebody told me that Michael Caine said one of his recent roles — I think it was as The Joker in Batman — was one of the greatest performances he's ever seen on screen.

"That's not bad, is it?"

Ledger's body was removed from the building on a stretcher in a black body bag, in front of 200 onlookers and more than 70 photographers and television cameramen.

The New York Times initially reported that the apartment belonged to actress Mary-Kate Olsen. But Olsen's representatives have since denied this.

According to celebrity website TMZ, Ledger's ex-fiancée Michelle Williams — with whom he had a daughter — is "devastated" by the news.

Australian actress Naomi Watts, who dated Ledger between 2002 and 2004, was reported to have collapsed in tears when she learned of his death at the Sundance Film Festival.

Film industry mourns

Producer Emile Sherman, who worked with Ledger on the Australian film Candy, said the actor had a "sensitive, artistic soul".

"I received calls and e-mail and texts from a large number of people and that’s how I found out. The word got around very quickly," Mr Sherman said.

"I was in disbelief. I haven't spoken to Heath for a while, but we were planning on catching up via e-mail soon.

"For someone of his age to die is a huge tragedy, it's a huge tragedy for the Australian Film Industry and the International Film Industry."

Mr Sherman denied that Ledger was difficult to work with, saying he was often misunderstood.


Actress and fellow Australian Nicole Kidman called Ledger's death "a terrible tragedy". "My heart goes out to his family," Kidman said.

Wendy Day, publicist for Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe, was unaware of Ledger's death when contacted by ninemsn.

"It's news to me. I guess I should find out about it," Ms Day said.

"It's very sad news. Oh my God, that's very sad."

Ledger's former school principal, Robert Zordan, described Ledger as a "humble and loyal friend" to his schoolmates.

"One of the great things about him as a person, was that with all the stardom and with all the lights that were focused on him, it was with a degree of humility and loyalty that he remained very, very closely in touch with many of his peers from his particular year group," Mr Zordan said on ABC radio.

"I know for example that when his friends from school days were in New York he would be a very, very generous and loyal host, often putting them up in his own home.

'Stressing out'

In an interview with the New York Times two months ago, Ledger admitted to "stressing out a little too much" on the set of The Dark Knight.

The actor told the paper he was sleeping an average of two hours a night and took the drug Ambien to help him fall asleep.

He said in another recent interview that he felt "good about dying".

While promoting his latest film I'm Not There, Ledger became extremely serious when asked about his two-year-old daughter, Matilda.

"You also look at death differently," Ledger told WJW FOX in Cleveland.

"It's like a Catch-22.

"I feel good about dying now because I feel I'm alive in her.

"But at the same hand, you don't want to die because you want to be around for the rest of her life."

Ledger split last year with his fiancée Michelle Williams, Matilda's mother.

He dropped out of school at 16 and moved from Perth to Sydney and then to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career.

Ledger received an Academy Award nomination for his role in Brokeback Mountain. He stars as the Joker in the upcoming Batman movie, The Dark Knight.

He had recently been romantically linked to Australian model Gemma Ward.


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I really liked him.
Like Mel Gibson said.

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Heath Ledger found dead in NYC apartment

Heath Ledger found dead in NYC apartment

Authorities say actor’s death likely suicide or accidental overdose


'Brokeback' co-star Heath Ledger found dead
Jan. 22: The 28-year-old Australian-born actor, co-star of the Oscar-winning movie 'Brokeback Mountain,' was found dead in his New York apartment. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.

Breaking news
MSNBC News Services
updated 9:03 p.m. ET Jan. 22, 2008

NEW YORK - Heath Ledger, the talented 28-year-old actor who gravitated toward dark, brooding roles that defied his leading-man looks, was found dead Tuesday in a Manhattan apartment, face-down and naked at the foot of his bed with prescription sleeping pills nearby, police said.

There was no obvious indication of suicide, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.

Ledger’s publicist, Mara Buxbaum, issued a statement this Tuesday night, saying, “We are all deeply saddened and shocked by this accident. This is an extremely difficult time for his loved ones and we are asking the media to please respect the family’s privacy.”

It wasn’t immediately clear if Ledger had committed suicide. He had an appointment for a massage at the residence in the tony neighborhood of SoHo, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. A housekeeper who went to let him know the massage therapist had arrived found him unconscious at 3:26 p.m.

According to The New York Times, his body was moved to the floor, and after receiving no response from the actor after shaking him, the masseuse and housekeeper called authorities.

“We are investigating the possibility of an overdose,” Browne said. “There were pills within the vicinity of the bed.”

A source told msnbc.com's Courtney Hazlett that Ledger had been turning down roles lately.

The Times initially reported that Ledger was found in an apartment owned by actress Mary-Kate Olsen, but a spokesperson for the actress, who is at the Sundance Film Festival, later told the Times the apartment was not Olsen's.


Heath Ledger, 1979-2008
The actor, who was Oscar nominated for “Brokeback Mountain,” died at age 28.



A large crowd of paparazzi and gawkers began gathering Tuesday evening outside the building on the upscale block, where several police officers guarded the door. According to The Times, city workers rolled Ledger’s body, encased in a black body bag, out of the building on a stretcher.

An autopsy was planned for Wednesday, medical examiner’s office spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

While not a marquee movie star, Ledger was a respected, award-winning actor who chose his roles carefully 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, now 2-year-old Matilda, and lived together in Brooklyn until they split up last year.

He once said he was ready to die because he could live on in his child.

“Having a child changes every aspect of your life — for the better, of course. The sacrifices are large, but what you get in return is even bigger than the sacrifices you make. I feel, in a sense, ready to die because you are living on in your child,” Ledger told In Touch Weekly in November.

It was a shocking and unforeseen conclusion for one of Hollywood’s bright young stars. Though his leading-man looks propelled him to early stardom in films like “10 Things I Hate About You” and “A Knight’s Tale,” his career took a notable turn toward dramatic and brooding roles with 2001’s “Monster’s Ball.”

“I had such great hope for him,” said Mel Gibson, who played Ledger’s vengeful father in “The Patriot,” in a statement from the actor’s publicist. “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.”

Ledger eschewed Hollywood glitz in favor of a bohemian life in Brooklyn, where he was one of the borough’s most famous residents. “Brokeback” would be his breakthrough role, establishing him as one of his generation’s finest talents and an actor willing to take risks.

Ledger began to gravitate more toward independent fare, including Lasse Hallstrom’s “Casanova” and Terry Gilliam’s “The Brothers Grimm,” both released in 2005. His 2006 film “Candy” now seems destined to have an especially haunting quality: In a particularly realistic performance, Ledger played a poet wrestling with a heroin addiction along with his girlfriend, played by Abbie Cornish.

But Ledger’s most recent choices were arguably the boldest yet: He co-starred 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.

Heath Ledger found dead
Jan. 22: Actor Heath Ledger is found dead in a New York City apartment. MSNBC.com's Courtney Hazlett and MSNBC's Chris Jansing report.
MSNBC


And in what may be his final finished performance, Ledger proved that he wouldn’t be intimidated by taking on a character as iconic as Jack Nicholson’s Joker. Ledger’s version of the Batman villain, glimpsed in early teaser trailers, made it clear that his Joker would be less comical and more depraved and dark.

Curiosity to see Ledger’s final performance will likely further stoke interest in the summer blockbuster. “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 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.”

Ledger told The New York Times in a November interview that he “stressed out a little too much” during the Dylan film, and had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker, whom he called a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy.”

“Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,” Ledger told the newspaper. “I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.” He said he took two Ambien pills, which only worked for an hour, the paper said.

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 costarred opposite Julia Stiles in “10 Things I Hate About You.” Offers for other teen flicks soon came his way, but Ledger turned them down, preferring to remain idle than sign on for projects he didn’t like.

“It wasn’t a hard decision for me,” Ledger told the Associated Press in 2001. “It was hard for everyone else around me to understand. Agents were like, ‘You’re crazy,’ my parents were like, ‘Come on, you have to eat.”’

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

My bone...

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Distorted.

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Monday, January 14, 2008

He's mine...


I never will, originally uploaded by Federico Erra.

He's one of my favourite artist.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Julio...


Well done, originally uploaded by Hina :-).

Adrian at da back.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

On fire.....

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Some people are so fucking stupid.
How bloody foolish can one get????
I'm on burning fire.....

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Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Natural High...

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I'm so easily amused...
Living my life on a natural high...

I'm so easily amused...
Living my life on a natural high...

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