Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon at 3:35pm in his apartment in downtown Manhattan. He was found in bed with sleeping pills around him, according to police who arrived on scene.

He was scheduled to have an appointment for a massage this afternoon, when the massage therapist and his housekeeper found him unresponsive. They immediately called 911.

The 28-year-old actor was nominated for an Academy Award for Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain. On the set of Brokeback Mountain, he met Dawson's Creek alum Michelle Williams, who starred alongside him. The two lived together in Brooklyn with their daughter Matilda. The couple were engaged to be married until they split up last year.

Those who knew him say that he was a very caring father and that he and his toddler daughter were very close.

"It's so sad. They were really close," said Michelle Vella, an employee of a neighborhood home and children's store which he frequented. "He's a very down to earth guy and an amazing father." She often saw him carrying his daughter on his shoulders or sharing ice cream with her.

Ledger has appeared in Monster's Ball with Billy Bob Thornton. He also starred in A Knight's Tale opposite Shannyn Sossamon, and in The Patriot with fellow Aussie Mel Gibson. He had recently finished filming for the newest installment of the Batman franchise, The Dark Night, in which he plays the Joker, opposite Christian Bale.

Ledger was also slated to appear in Terry Gilliam's new film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Filming was due to begin in London shortly.

The Australian-born Ledger got his big break in 1999 when he landed the role of Patrick Verona in 10 Things I Hate About You, a modern retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Most recently, he appeared in I'm Not There.


-Debbie Chang, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: The Associated Press
(Image courtesy of Indie Wire)