Heath Ledger found dead at NY apartment
Wednesday Jan 23 09:00 AEDT

Australian actor Heath Ledger has been found dead in New York of a possible drug overdose, according to US police.

Ledger, 28, was found dead at a residence, in Broome St, SoHo, by his housekeeper and a masseuse at 3.31pm local time (7.31am AEDT).

The New York Times reports that the apartment belongs to actress Mary-Kate Olsen and that signs "point to suicide". Olsen is currently in California, the paper reports.

Ledger was found after the housekeeper and masseuse knocked on the apartment's bedroom door. When no-one answered, they entered and found the actor unconscious.

Paramedics who attended the scene found the actor in full cardiac arrest, and unsuccessfully attempted to perform CPR. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police told the Times they did not suspect foul play. Prescription pills were strewn around the actor's bed, according to various reports.

It was unclear if it was an intentional or accidental death.

Ledger split last year from his fiancee Michelle Williams, with whom he has a two-year-old daughter, Matilda.

He dropped out of school at 16 and moved from Perth to Sydney and then to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career.

Ledger received an Academy Award nomination for his role in Brokeback Mountain. He stars as the Joker in the upcoming Batman movie, The Dark Night.

Ledger had recently been romantically linked to Australian model Gemma Ward. "

article from : http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=370536&rss=yes

jesus. i saw the headline, and i'm like...no. No. This isn't real. This can't be real. jesus.