Heath Ledger's Death Linked to Ambien

Actor Heath Ledger, only 28 years old, was found dead in his New York apartment yesterday, January 22nd. Police stated that prescription drug bottles, all issued legally to Ledger, were found in his apartment; their statement was that the pills were not "scattered around," but were all his prescriptions. Among the drugs was the prescription sleep aid with the US trade name Ambien; it's called Stilnox in Australia. Autopsy results have not yet been released, and at this writing it isn't known if the actual cause was suicide, or an accidental overdose.

Friends of Ledger say that the actor, perhaps best known for his Oscar-nominated role in "Brokeback Mountain," had been depressed recently over his break-up with actress Michelle Williams, his girlfriend since they met on the set of "Mountain" and the mother of his beloved two-year-old daughter, Matilda Rose. Williams was in Sweden filming her latest movie, "Mammoth," at the time of his death, but was reportedly on her way back to New York. He had also expressed to both friends and reporters that his role as the Joker in the most recent Batman movie had been a difficult one for him, both physically and emotionally. He described the character as a "mass-murdering schizophrenic clown" and said that both during filming and since, he had not only had trouble sleeping, but trouble separating himself from this role. A source close to the family, quoted in the Daily Telegraph (an Australian paper and website) said that Heath Ledger also had pneumonia; other friends said he had appeared ill and run-down lately.