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The untimely death of Heath Ledger was a shock and a tragedy. On January 22nd a masseuse arrived at Ledger's New York loft apartment for a scheduled appointment. His housekeeper went to fetch him, but discovered the gifted actor naked and slumped face-down at the end of his bed. Emergency personnel arrived at about 3.30pm and pronounced the actor dead at the scene. Initially it was thought that he had suffered a fatal overdose due to ingesting a cocktail of prescribed medications. No illegal drugs were found on the premises, but prescription drugs filled the medicine cabinet.

Ledger's death has been met with utter disbelief. Despite his status as a Hollywood leading man, for whom the doors to a world of drink and drugs are wide open, the 28 year old was not known for a hard living lifestyle. Colleagues have heaped praise on him for his commitment and dedication to his art and his devastated family have bravely defended his good name. Still, his death and the circumstances of it, has left us all bewildered.

Heath had a tendency to get stressed out about his movie roles, his acting ability and the way he was perceived by others. He had been having problems sleeping, and was popping Ambien to try to help him.

Ambien is a powerful sedative commonly prescribed to help combat insomnia, but it should never be combined with other medications or taken in increased doses. The results of the autopsy on Ledger are inconclusive, although further tests are taking place, but the presumption is he did one or both of these ill advised things.

In an interview conducted shortly before his death, Ledger discussed his sleeping problems with New York Times journalist Sarah Lyall. (published in The Observer, Review, 01/27/08). He was in London filming Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, when he said...

"Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night....I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted and my mind was still going."

Heath explained that he had taken two sleeping pills, but they hadn't helped. Lyall didn't think anything of this at the time, although she does note that Ledger was loathe to keep still as he talked, and constantly fiddled with his hair, got up to make coffee or smoked cigarettes. This restlessness was complimented, however, by unadulterated vibrancy. She found him to be intelligent, imposing and full of life. In retrospect she is chilled by their ominous discussion about insomnia, but cannot quite believe someone so strong and dynamic

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