Mary-Kate Olsen Refuses to Talk to Police About Heath Ledger's Death

Mary-Kate Olsen, a friend of Heath Ledger and owner of the New York apartment where his body was found, has refused to speak with investigators regarding the source of the drugs found in Heath Ledger's body and in his possession at the time of his death. Mary-Kate Olsen has stipulated that she may discuss these issues with police investigators if they provide her with immunity from prosecution.

An autopsy showed that Heath Ledger's death occurred from a combination of prescription medications, including oxycodon, diazepam, doxylamine, hydrocodone, tamazepan, and alprazolam. Mary-Kate Olsen was the first person notified by Ledger's masseuse when she found his unresponsive body in the apartment, prior to notifying paramedics or police.

Mary-Kate Olsen's attorney released a statement to the press this morning, stating that "Mary-Kate Olsen had nothing whatsoever to do with the drugs found in Heath Ledger's home or his body, and she does not know where he obtained them." The official statement went on to state that Mary-Kate Olsen has been co-operating with authorities to establish the time line that led up to Heath Ledger's death.

Heath Ledger's death is only the most recent in a string of celebrity prescription drug overdoses. On February 8, 2007, actress Anna Nicole Smith died from the combined effects of several prescription medications, including some that had been prescribed to her husband. Smith's son, Daniel, had overdosed from prescription medications six months earlier. Prescription drug abuse is not a new Hollywood trend, either. Marilyn Monroe's death in 1962 was officially attributed to an accidental overdose of sleeping pills.