Heath Ledger, the actor who quickly transformed from Aussie heartthrob to Oscar nominee and doting dad, was found dead at his Manhattan residence Tuesday, a New York police spokesman confirms. He was 28 years old.
Police say the death may have been drug-related and that "prescription-type drugs" were found near his body.
Ledger was found in the bedroom of his SoHo apartment around 3:30 p.m. by his housekeeper and a masseuse who had arrived for an appointment with the actor, police say.
Ledger was nude, lying on the floor curled up, at the foot of his bed. He did not respond when they shook him, and the housekeeper called 911. He was pronounced dead at 3:45 p.m. ET.
Authorities said they did not suspect foul play but that medication was found near the body.
"There were some drugs found around the body – prescription-type drugs," a police spokesman tells PEOPLE. The spokesman says there were two bottles of prescription sleep aids, and that the prescriptions were made out to Ledger.
There have been numerous reports suggesting that Ledger took his own life by ingesting a boatload of pills. Contrary to initial reports, the pills that were "scattered" around Ledger's apartment were actually in containers. The containers were not littering the apartment. Rather, some were in the medicine cabinet and some in other rooms. As TMZ reported, one container was on Ledger's nightstand. Cops found sleeping pills and an anti-anxiety drug in the bedroom.
Is the media speculating too soon? Are they ruining what's left of Heath's reputation by speculating/hinting that he took his own life because he was depressed about losing his girlfriend, Michelle Williams and daughter, Matilda?
