Heath Ledger: How Did He Die? What Did Heath Ledger Die From?

On January 22, 2008, Hollywood mourned a talented Actor, Heath Ledger, whose life was tragically cut short by accidental “abuse of prescription medications”.

The body of Ledger, 28, was found by his masseuse and housekeeper on the floor of his rented apartment in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City.

Soon after the masseuse and housekeeper discovered Ledger’s body, emergency crews arrived on the scene but were unable to revive him.

Media speculation about his possible illegal drug use intensified over the next two weeks until on February 8, the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office released the results of toxicology tests performed on Ledger’s body.

The report stated that he died of an accidental “abuse of prescription medications” that included commonly known painkillers, anti-anxiety drugs, and sleeping pills.

After memorial services in New York and Los Angeles, Ledger’s family took his body back to their native Australia; he was cremated at a private funeral service attended by his family.

Best known for his Academy Award-nominated turn as the closeted gay cowboy Ennis Del Mar in the director Ang Lee’s acclaimed Brokeback Mountain (2005), Ledger was a former child actor from Australia who first became known to American audiences in the 1999 teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You.

He later passed up other teen comedies and was rewarded with a big break when he landed the role of Mel Gibson’s son in the Revolutionary War drama The Patriot (2000).

After appearing in the well-reviewed Monster’s Ball (2001), Ledger starred in two critical and commercial flops, A Knight’s Tale (2001) and The Four Feathers (2002).

He roared back in 2005, with lead roles in no fewer than four films, including Casanova, in which he played the title role.