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Heath Ledger Found Dead at Manhattan Residence; Sleeping Pills Discovered in
Apartment
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
NEW YORK - Oscar-nominee Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at his
downtown Manhattan residence, face-down and naked at the foot of his bed
with prescription sleeping pills in the apartment, police said. The
Australian-born actor was 28.
There was no obvious indication of suicide or foul play, said NYPD spokesman
Paul Browne.
"We are all deeply saddened and shocked by this accident," Ledger's
publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said in a statement Tuesday night. "This is an
extremely difficult time for his loved ones and we are asking the media to
please respect the family's privacy and avoid speculation until the facts
are known."
His father, mother and sister in Australia also expressed their shock at the
actor's "untimely and accidental" death in a statement for Seven Network,
The Associated Press reported.
Ledger was found at his apartment at 421 Broome Street in the SoHo section
of New York City and was pronounced dead at 3:35 p.m. EST, NYPD spokeswoman
Stephanie Jaramillo told FOXNews.com.
The "Brokeback Mountain" actor had an appointment for a massage at the
residence in the tony SoHo neighborhood, Browne said. A housekeeper who went
to let him know the masseuse had arrived and the massage therapist found his
naked body in the bed at about 3:30 p.m. They tried to revive him, but he
was already dead.
FOLLOWING IS A N-Y-P-D NEWS RELEASE ON TODAY'S SITUATION INVOLVING HEATH
LEDGER: ON TUESDAY, 01/22/08, AT APPROXIMATELY 1530 HOURS, IN THE CONFINES
OF THE 5 PRECINCT, POLICE RESPONDED TO 421 BROOME STREET AND FOUND A M/W/28
UNCONSCIOUS. THE VICTIM WAS PRONOUNCED DOA AT THE SCENE. M.E.'S OFFICE TO
DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF DEATH. INVESTIGATION CONTINUES.
NYPD spokeswoman Jaramillo declined to comment on the cause of death, saying
only that "the investigation is still ongoing."
The medical examiner's office planned an autopsy Wednesday, spokeswoman
Ellen Borakove said.
Ledger's apartment is listed as a three-bedroom SoHo loft with a rent of
$23,000, according to real estate broker Corcoran.
Outside the building on an upscale street, paparazzi and gawkers gathered,
and several police officers put up barricades to control the crowd of about
300. Onlookers craned their necks as officers brought out a black body bag
on a gurney, took it across the sidewalk and put it into a white medical
examiner's office van.
As the door opened, bystanders snapped pictures with camera phones, rolled
video and said, "He's coming out!"
The superintendent of the building, Tamba Mossa, told reporters that Ledger
had lived there for four or five months, and that he recently "looked sad."
"I'm very, very sad. I wasn't prepared to hear about his death at that
moment. He was a very great man," Mossa said.
The actor was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in
"Brokeback Mountain," where he met his former fianc
Heath Ledger Found Dead at Manhattan Residence; Sleeping Pills Discovered in
Apartment
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
NEW YORK - Oscar-nominee Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at his
downtown Manhattan residence, face-down and naked at the foot of his bed
with prescription sleeping pills in the apartment, police said. The
Australian-born actor was 28.
There was no obvious indication of suicide or foul play, said NYPD spokesman
Paul Browne.
"We are all deeply saddened and shocked by this accident," Ledger's
publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said in a statement Tuesday night. "This is an
extremely difficult time for his loved ones and we are asking the media to
please respect the family's privacy and avoid speculation until the facts
are known."
His father, mother and sister in Australia also expressed their shock at the
actor's "untimely and accidental" death in a statement for Seven Network,
The Associated Press reported.
Ledger was found at his apartment at 421 Broome Street in the SoHo section
of New York City and was pronounced dead at 3:35 p.m. EST, NYPD spokeswoman
Stephanie Jaramillo told FOXNews.com.
The "Brokeback Mountain" actor had an appointment for a massage at the
residence in the tony SoHo neighborhood, Browne said. A housekeeper who went
to let him know the masseuse had arrived and the massage therapist found his
naked body in the bed at about 3:30 p.m. They tried to revive him, but he
was already dead.
FOLLOWING IS A N-Y-P-D NEWS RELEASE ON TODAY'S SITUATION INVOLVING HEATH
LEDGER: ON TUESDAY, 01/22/08, AT APPROXIMATELY 1530 HOURS, IN THE CONFINES
OF THE 5 PRECINCT, POLICE RESPONDED TO 421 BROOME STREET AND FOUND A M/W/28
UNCONSCIOUS. THE VICTIM WAS PRONOUNCED DOA AT THE SCENE. M.E.'S OFFICE TO
DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF DEATH. INVESTIGATION CONTINUES.
NYPD spokeswoman Jaramillo declined to comment on the cause of death, saying
only that "the investigation is still ongoing."
The medical examiner's office planned an autopsy Wednesday, spokeswoman
Ellen Borakove said.
Ledger's apartment is listed as a three-bedroom SoHo loft with a rent of
$23,000, according to real estate broker Corcoran.
Outside the building on an upscale street, paparazzi and gawkers gathered,
and several police officers put up barricades to control the crowd of about
300. Onlookers craned their necks as officers brought out a black body bag
on a gurney, took it across the sidewalk and put it into a white medical
examiner's office van.
As the door opened, bystanders snapped pictures with camera phones, rolled
video and said, "He's coming out!"
The superintendent of the building, Tamba Mossa, told reporters that Ledger
had lived there for four or five months, and that he recently "looked sad."
"I'm very, very sad. I wasn't prepared to hear about his death at that
moment. He was a very great man," Mossa said.
The actor was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in
"Brokeback Mountain," where he met his former fianc
