Heath Ledger Found Dead

This is extremely sad news to hear. Heath Ledger was a very talented actor and my condolences goes out to his family and friends.

Newsday.com reports "Academy Award-nominated actor Heath Ledger, whose performance as the brooding Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain" catapulted him into the rarefied realm of A-list celebrities, was found dead near his bed in his Manhattan apartment Tuesday afternoon, sleeping pills by his side, New York City police said.Ledger, the father of a young girl and a performer with an impressive filmography, and who was due to appear in two upcoming films, was 28.

Until recently, Ledger, a native of Perth, Australia, lived in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn with his partner and "Brokeback Mountain" co-star, Michelle Williams, and their daughter, Matilda Rose. Ledger met Williams, who was also nominated for an Oscar for her role in the film, on the set.The couple split up last year, she staying in their Brooklyn home and he moving to SoHo.

The cause of death was not immediately known. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.Police said Ledger's body was found at about 3:30 p.m. after a masseuse arrived at the apartment on Broome Street in SoHo.

A housekeeper who had let the masseuse into the home believed Ledger was asleep, police said. But when the housekeeper and masseuse entered the bedroom, they found Ledger was unresponsive, and one of them dialed 911, police said. Word of Ledger's death traveled quickly on the streets of the city as a crowd of about 150 paparazzi and gawkers began gathering outside the upscale building. Police used barricades to block the door. Fans sighed and snapped pictures with camera phones of the actor's body as officials rolled it out at about 6:30 p.m. in a black bag on a gurney".