'Brokeback Mountain' star Heath Ledger found dead in apartment : Hollywood News : ApunKaChoice.Com


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'Brokeback Mountain' star Heath Ledger found dead in apartment
23rd Jan 2008 16.15 IST

Actor Heath Ledger, who got an Oscar nomination for his role of a gay cowboy in Ang Lee’s film ‘Brokeback Mountain’, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on Wednesday.

The twenty-eight-year old, Australian-born actor was reportedly found dead, lying facedown, on the bedroom floor of his fourth-floor apartment by a housekeeper who had come to tell him about the arrival of a massage therapist.

According to police, sleeping pills were found near Ledger’s body. However, police hasn’t confirmed that it was a case of suicide.

New York Chief police spokesman Paul J Browne said the police did not suspect foul play. He added that there were no signs that Ledger had been drinking, nor were any illegal drugs found in his apartment.

In Ledger's hometown Perth, his parents Kim and Sally addressed the media outside the family home along with his younger sister Kate:

"We, Heath's family, confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda, who was found in a peaceful sleep in his New York apartment by his housekeeper at 3:30pm [NY Time]. We would like to thank our friends and everyone around the world for their kind wishes at this time. Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life, but few had the pleasure to truly know him. He was a down-to-earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving and unselfish individual who was an extreme inspiration to many. Please now respect our family's need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately."

Born to a mining engineer and a French teacher, Heath Legder had his first brush with acting when he was ten, playing the role of Peter Pan in his school play.

Ledger began his professional acting career with TV series ‘Sweat’ in 1996. He made his film debut in 1997 in Australian movie ‘Blackrock’. In the subsequent years, he went on to act in movies like ‘Two Hands’, ‘The Patriot’, ‘Monster’s Ball’, ‘Ned Kelly’ and ‘Brokeback Mountain’.

Ledger has a two-year-old daughter Matilda from his former fiancée Michelle Williams.