I HOPE I am wrong but the news just said Heath Ledger has DIED in his apartment.

Omfg Just as I was reading this my gf called to tell me...I am afraid its true. Jesus wtf

I know I just heard too, so sad all these young people dying. I really like him too....

i just heard also.

It's true.

Heath Ledger found dead in NYC at age 28 27 minutes ago


NEW YORK - Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan apartment, and police said drugs may have been a factor. The Australian-born actor was 28. Police said Ledger was naked in his bed with an unknown number of sleeping pills near the body.

Ledger had an appointment for a massage at a residence in the tony SoHo neighborhood, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. A housekeeper who went to let him know the massage therapist had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

A large crowd of paparazzi and gawkers began gathering Tuesday evening outside the building on an upscale block, where several police officers guarded the door. The medical examiner's office planned an autopsy on Wednesday, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

While not a marquee movie star, Ledger was a respected, award-winning actor who took his craft seriously 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, Matilda, and lived together in Brooklyn until they split up last year.

Ledger most recently appeared 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.

Ledger had finished filming his role as the Joker this year in "The Dark Knight," a sequel to 2005's "Batman Begins."

He's had starring roles in "A Knight's Tale" and "The Patriot," and played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in "Monster's Ball." He also played a heroin addict in the 2006 Australian film "Candy."

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 co-starred opposite Julia Stiles in "10 Things I Hate About You," a teen comedy reworking of "The Taming of the Shrew." His movie career caught on soon after that, culminating with his Academy Award nomination for "Brokeback Mountain."

"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 had 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."

I couldn't believe it at first. Heath is was always one of my favorite actors. And his poor little girl

Rest in Peace

This is so shocking and horrible....i feel soooooooooooo badly for his baby. He was a great actor & so young. I still can hardly believe this.

I was at work when I heard the news over the radio. I was helping a customer and when I heard them say his name my head shot up staring towards the radio. I am still shocked and can not believe that another great actor is gone.

What a loss. He was so talented.

oh my gosh that is so sad... what a loss, I hope the media leaves his family alone and gives them space to grieve...

^^^^^^ i agree 1575667.000000000000%

quote:

Originally posted by lilsurprises:
oh my gosh that is so sad... what a loss, I hope the media leaves his family alone and gives them space to grieve...

I heard his family heard the news on the radio, and that paparazzi swarmed his sister's house. Noami watts and Michelle Williams both rushed to NYC immediately. How do you tell a 2 year old that daddy isn't coming back?

INITIAL REPORTS FALSE...here is the most updated report. R.I.P. this is SO sad!

Heath Ledger, whose chiseled good looks made him a heartthrob to millions and who won movie fame for playing a tragic homosexual cowboy, was found dead in a Manhattan apartment today, police said.

The body of the Australian actor, who won an Academy Award nomination for the 2005 movie "Brokeback Mountain," was found hours after this year's Oscar picks were announced.

Ledger, 28, was found unconscious at 3:26 p.m. and pronounced dead minutes later by emergency medical personnel, said Det. Madelyne Galindo, a spokeswoman for the New York Police Department.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger's body was discovered in the bedroom of his residence by his housekeeper and a masseuse who had an appointment with the actor at 3 p.m.

Contrary to early reports, the apartment where he was found does not belong to Mary-Kate Olsen, Browne said. The spokesman also said that preliminary reports that pills were found scattered around Ledger's body were also inaccurate.

Police did find prescription sleeping pills in a container in the bedroom and other pills in containers in the bathroom, but Browne said it was too early to establish a cause of death.

"We haven't made any determination," he said, though he added that there were no indications of foul play.

Minutes after the news of Ledger's death broke, a crowd of several hundred people gathered outside the SoHo apartment where his body was found. TV crews and residents were quickly joined by fans from around the city, including a trio of acting students from Brooklyn who took the subway over as soon as they learned of his death.

"It's sort of like James Dean died in this age," said Daniel Lonsbury, 18.

"Definitely, that's why we ran down after we heard about it," said John Payne, 20, who added that he feels like he grew up with Ledger.

The acting students rattled off the various films Ledger has starred in, remarking at the incredible range he demonstrated in his short career.

"So many actors get stuck in one image," Payne said. "He wouldn't let that happen. It was kind of inspiring, just seeing him grow. And talk about risks -- 'Brokeback Mountain.' "

As evening wore on, the crowd swelled as more and more people came to the scene, most twentysomethings. Fans climbed on scaffolding across the street from the building to get a better view, many of them holding up cellphone cameras to capture the spectacle.

About 6 p.m., an ambulance pulled up and the police began clearing the crowd away from the entrance to the building as they prepared to bring out Ledger's body.

The apartment where Ledger was found is in a posh section of SoHo known for its sprawling, high-ceilinged lofts. A listing for a 4,400-square-foot unit in the building at 421 Broome St. is on the rental market for $23,000 a month, according to a listing on Corcoran.com, which describes the unit as "a perfect evolution in modern luxury living."

Ledger was born to romance in Perth, in western Australia. His engineer father and French-teacher mother named him for the hero in Emily Bronte's classic "Wuthering Heights."

He got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 at a local theater company. After several independent films, Ledger moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and costarred opposite Julia Stiles in "10 Things I Hate About You," a teen comedy reworking of "The Taming of the Shrew."

"People just love to bash L.A.," Ledger told NW Magazine in 2000, according to IMDB, an online data base.

"People say it's so pretentious, so arrogant, so this and that. But it's truly a wonderful place. You don't have to go to the places where that stuff goes on. You don't have to go to Beverly Hills, you don't have to go to the parties," he was quoted as saying.

"You can live up in the lower canyon and live such a perfectly healthy, beautiful, fun life with all your friends. You can drive two hours one way and be at the Joshua Tree desert, two hours one way you're skiing at Big Bear. Sure, it can get full-on and that's why it's good to get out. But it's too easy just to say: 'Nup, I hate it. I'm not living there anymore.' "

Ledger's fame will always be tied to "Brokeback Mountain," the tender film of two cowboys and their tragic love.

Along with the Oscar nomination, Ledger won the love of costar Michelle Williams. They lived in Brooklyn with their daughter, Matilda.

They separated last year.

Before his relationship with Williams, Ledger had highly publicized relationships with actresses Heather Graham and Naomi Watts. He met Watts while working on "The Lords of Dogtown," about the growth of skateboarding in Santa Monica and Venice.

Ledger will appear as the Joker this year in "The Dark Knight," a sequel to 2005's "Batman Begins."

"The Dark Knight" is one of the most anticipated movies of 2008, and for months Batman fans have been debating the film's biggest wild card: the choice of Ledger as the Joker, a role that comes with the considerable challenge of filling the clown shoes so memorably worn by Jack Nicholson in 1989.

"The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news," said Alan Horn, president and chief operating officer of Warner Bros., and Jeff Robinov, president of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, in a statement. Warner produced "The Dark Knight."

"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," they said.

Ledger also had starring roles in "A Knight's Tale" and "The Patriot" and played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in "Monster's Ball."

His latest film role was in "I'm Not There," in which he played one of the many incarnations of Bob Dylan. Also in the film was Cate Blanchett, whose performance in it earned her a supporting-actress Oscar nomination today.

I live in Australia where he is from and everyone here is devestated. I was driving to work at the time and it come on the radio - I almost ran into the car in front of me because it was just that moment of shock. There was this one girl that called up the radio station crying. He was such a brilliant actor and my heart breaks for his little girl