Heath Ledger found dead

[thilak4life]

Link

Suspected to be Drug Overdose..

RIP!

[Kollywoodfan]

Shocking news. One of the most talented, rising stars of this generation. Condolences to his family / friends

[Nerd]

RIP. What a shame

[Kollywoodfan]

Heath Ledger, `Brokeback Mountain' Star, Found Dead in New York
By Laurence Arnold and Michael Heath

Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Heath Ledger, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his role as a cowboy coming to grips with his homosexuality in ``Brokeback Mountain,'' died in a Manhattan apartment yesterday of a possible overdose of sleeping pills. He was 28.

``This is an unimaginable tragedy,'' said Todd Haynes, who directed Ledger in ``I'm Not There,'' a movie about Bob Dylan released last year. ``Heath was a true artist, a deeply sensitive man, an explorer, gifted and wise beyond his years.''

A masseuse who arrived at the SoHo apartment was let in by a housekeeper, and the two found Ledger dead in a bedroom, the New York Police Department said. The Australian-born actor was facedown in bed and a packet of prescription sleeping pills was on a night table, police said. The New York City Medical Examiner's office will conduct an autopsy today, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

``We are all deeply saddened and shocked by this accident,'' Ledger's publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said in a statement.

Ledger, who appeared in 21 movies, was about to return to big-screen stardom as the Joker in ``The Dark Knight,'' a new Batman movie set for release in July. In an interview published two days before his death in the U.K.'s Sunday Express newspaper, he said moviegoers would find his Joker to be ``an out-of-control psychopath, sociopath, cold-blooded, mass-murdering clown.''

Ledger said the role wore him down. ``Last week, I probably slept an average of two hours a night,'' he told the New York Times in a story published in November. ``I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.''

He said an Ambien sleeping pill failed to help, so he took a second one, only to awaken an hour later, his mind still racing.

`Inspirational'

In Perth, Western Australia, Ledger's father Kim said his son ``was found peacefully asleep in his New York apartment.'' In comments broadcast live on Sky News, Kim Ledger called his son ``a down-to-earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving, unselfish individual who was extremely inspirational to many.''

Ledger earned fame, and his Oscar nomination for best actor, with his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in 2005's ``Brokeback Mountain.'' The movie, based on a short story by Annie Proulx, featured the actor and Jake Gyllenhaal as cowboys unable to resist falling in love.

``It felt like a story that had never been put to screen,'' Ledger told Oprah Winfrey in 2006. Entertainment Weekly said Ledger, as Ennis, ``creates an indelible portrayal of a jalopy of a man, crumbling under the weight of his own longing.''

Ledger's performance in ``Brokeback Mountain'' was called ``outstanding'' and ``almost like a miracle'' by the movie's director, Ang Lee.

``It is a great screen performance, as good as the best of Marlon Brando and Sean Penn,'' said the New York Times.

Travolta Tribute

``He is one of my favorite actors,'' John Travolta said in a statement on the Web site of ``Extra,'' a U.S. celebrity news show. ``His abilities are rare. It's a tremendous loss.''

Ledger said in a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone that he had no qualms about kissing a man on screen or fears that he'd fail to conjure up the feelings of a man coming to grips with his homosexuality.

``Look, I've experienced love,'' Ledger said. ``I know how to love a woman. But part of the magic of acting is, you harness the infinite power of belief.''

Heathcliff Andrew Ledger was born April 4, 1979, in Perth. His father, an engineer, and his mother Sally, a French teacher, divorced when he was 11, according to People.com.

He began performing in amateur theater at age 10 and at 16 moved to Sydney where he landed roles in television movies.

Publicity Shy

``He loved film, loved acting, loved performing,'' Robert Zordan, headmaster at Guilford Grammar, where Ledger went to school, said in an interview on Sky News. ``He didn't like the publicity that came with it.'' Zordan said Ledger had remained in touch with his school friends.

After moving to Los Angeles, Ledger played the romantic lead across from Julia Stiles in ``10 Things I Hate About You,'' a version of ``The Taming of the Shrew'' set in a high school.

He landed roles in ``The Patriot'' (2000) as the son of Mel Gibson's character and in ``Monster's Ball'' (2001) as the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton's character. Ledger lost out to Philip Seymour Hoffman for the title role in ``Capote'' (2005).

More recently, Ledger and five other actors, including Cate Blanchett, played Bob Dylan at various stages of his career in ``I'm Not There'' (2007). Ledger's character, Robbie, represented Dylan's struggle with love, marriage and divorce.

Executives at Warner Bros. Pictures Group, which is making the forthcoming Batman movie, said in a statement they were ``stunned and devastated by this tragic news.''

Australian Loss

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said in a statement: ``It is tragic that we have lost one of our nation's finest actors in the prime of his life.'' Peter Garrett, environment and arts minister and a former rock star, told reporters: ``It's a shock that he's gone and a moment of sadness which will last for us in Australia and also for the film community.''

Ledger had a daughter with Michelle Williams, a ``Brokeback Mountain'' co-star. The couple separated last year.

[thilak4life]

And, when it looked like his "Joker" promised to be just as whacky as Jack Nicholson's turn! And, all that from the evidence of the trailer alone.

[m_23_bayarea]

What a BUMMER! May his soul Rest In Peace...

Was shocked to see this on the News last night... Such an upcoming actor that looked like he had everything under control in life, having anti-depressant medications, and an overdose of the same! My Goshhh... Waiting for his Autopsy!

And on the Radio this morning, one of his friends mentioned, "His other side of life was tooo dark, and we knew this was coming!"... What the heq was that all abt?

[thilak4life]

Check this Link out

[Kollywoodfan]

The analysis of the autopsy was inconclusive. Thus far, the only story is that his death was accidental and nothing resembling a suicide. For the past yr, he had been struggling with his break-up with Michelle Williams and his tough role as the Joker, which apparently took a toll on him.

Mostly all entertainment channels were replaying his movie / interview clips and in one interview he said that it would be ok even if he died now, because he knows that he'll be alive in his daughter, Matilda. I was tearing.

May his soul rest in peace. He will always be remembered.

[thilak4life]

Checked out "The dark knight" trailer (which I have stored in my mobile as well). It was simply superb. Heath looks to have given his best. (rightful credits to Nolan) This unpredictable death reminds of Brandon Lee's while shooting for The Crow (which was even more horrific)

[Sinthiya]

RIP Heath Ledger...way too young