Autopsy of Heath Ledger Inconclusive

An autopsy on Heath Ledger was inclusive, and more tests are needed, the medical examiner's office said Wednesday, a day after the 28-year-old actor was found dead with sleeping pills nearby.

It will take about 10 days to complete the investigation, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner.

Earlier, police said the death was caused by a possible drug overdose and appeared to be accidental.

Ledger was known for grueling, intense roles that became his trademark after he got his start in teen movies like 10 Things I Hate About You.

In what may be his final finished performance, he took a rare role in a guaranteed summer blockbuster, playing Batman's nemesis, the Joker, in the upcoming The Dark Knight. But the role was nothing he could phone in; it forced him to re-brand a character last played on the big screen by Jack Nicholson.

The actor's personal strife was accompanied by professional anxiety.
Ledger said in an interview in November that The Dark Knight and last year's I'm Not There, took a heavy toll. He said he "stressed out a little too much" during the Dylan film, and had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker, whom he called a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."

"Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night," Ledger told The New York Times. "I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going." He said he took two Ambien pills, which only worked for an hour.

The film's director, Christopher Nolan, said that Ledger's Joker would be wildly different from Nicholson's. "It was a very great challenge for Heath," Nolan said. "He's extremely original, extremely frightening, tremendously edgy. A very young character, a very anarchic presence that taps into a lot of our basic fears and panic."

Ledger was currently filming for Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

The Dark Knight was released July 18th, 2008 and stars Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Monique Gabriela Curnen. The film is directed by Christopher Nolan.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was released December 25th, 2009 and stars Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Jude Law, Lily Cole, Peter Stormare, Tom Waits. The film is directed by Terry Gilliam.


Sources: Associated Press

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Comments (43)

  1. DarkKnightJunkie2767

    Being mean and hateful for me is a must.
    I've never really been in love but only in lust.
    I delight in being rude
    My ways are crude
    By the way surely by now Ledger is dust.

    2 years agoby @darkknightjunkie2767Flag

  2. DarkKnightJunkie2767

    Were you wondering where I've been?
    My obscene words to some are as sin!
    In my ways I am set,
    I hold not one regret.
    Well guess what here I am again.

    About my apology.......I was lying through my crooked yellow teeth.

    2 years agoby @darkknightjunkie2767Flag

  3. kingdingaling

    DarkKnightJunkie2767 thank you for apologizing,

    4 years agoby @kingdingalingFlag

  4. THE JOKER

    thank you for apologizing on that. heath you will be greatly missed.

    4 years agoby @mcleve02Flag

  5. DarkKnightJunkie2767

    I actually am ashamed of myself. I want to apologize for the way I have been acting. I'm an adult and it's time I act like one. What I did and said was very distastful and extremely disrespectful. I feel like a total ass. Again I am extremely sorry. May Heath Rest in Peace.

    4 years agoby @darkknightjunkie2767Flag

  6. ImmortalFury

    hey just out of curiosity has Christian Bale said anything about Heath's passing? cause if he has, i would like to see what he said.

    4 years agoby @immortalfuryFlag

  7. kingdingaling

    i feel we were just about to grasp the full talent of this lad. he was showing he can truly act, and i feel he could of gone on and became the actor he wanted to be, not some fame hungry talentless freak, but a man of substance,. i think the dark knight coupled with his last few films will justify what am trying to say. RIP. DarkKnightJunkie2767 you should be ashamed of your self

    4 years agoby @kingdingalingFlag

  8. THE JOKER

    well go laugh in your own private little corner and leave heath alone. if you want something done about Renfro i will tell you the same thing i told celluliod. submit a scoop!!! send in an article about his death and they will post it. then comment about renfro there and leave ledger alone. this is pages to mourne ledger, not try and belittle him.

    4 years agoby @mcleve02Flag

  9. DarkKnightJunkie2767

    It's not Heath's death that's funny to me, but rather the reaction from the world over a celebrity's death. In this unfortunate incident it just so happened to be Heath Ledger. But as mentioned before when Mr. Brad Renfro passed away, all they did was maybe mention his name and that he died, and what movie made him famous. In Heath's Case lets have whole F*ckin' Specials on his death. Why is the death of one more important than the other. Where's the Justice! Now thats Funny to me, but also pretty sad. Now am I at the point where I'm laughing so hard I'm crying or crying so hard I'm laughing....

    4 years agoby @darkknightjunkie2767Flag

  10. DarkKnightJunkie2767

    I am home, where do you think I'm writing this stuff from???

    4 years agoby @darkknightjunkie2767Flag

  11. THE JOKER

    man what is your deal. its funny that heath died. in the words of BB go home and stay there.

    4 years agoby @mcleve02Flag

  12. Brian

    DarkKnightJunkie2767....GO HOME.

    4 years agoby @brianFlag

  13. DarkKnightJunkie2767

    Well CelluloidDreams if Heath doesn't look tired in those photos, how does he look in them then?

    4 years agoby @darkknightjunkie2767Flag

  14. DarkKnightJunkie2767

    RE:thelord3003

    I know where the link takes you to. I'm not that stupid. Why do you think I put it on here? And you are right this is a sad moment around the world, and that's why its so damn funny!

    4 years agoby @darkknightjunkie2767Flag

  15. CelluloidDreams

    Heath didn't look tired in these photos DarkKnightJunkie2767

    4 years agoby @2movieguysFlag

  16. thelord3003

    RE:DarkKnightJunkie2767

    What was wrong? Click on the link and see for your self. It's a sad moment around the world. I'm sure you could do better.

    4 years agoby @thelord3003Flag

  17. DarkKnightJunkie2767

    Why would you say such a mean thing to me spensq? What did I do wrong?

    4 years agoby @darkknightjunkie2767Flag

  18. ArchAngel

    the saddest part is that in a short time, people will all but forget about him as a new young actor steps in the spotlight, its up to the true fans to carry on his memory and legacy...R.I.P. Heath

    4 years agoby @therealjokerFlag

  19. CelluloidDreams

    I just wish Hollywood and Movieweb etc...would have made this much of a fuss over Brad Renfro!

    4 years agoby @2movieguysFlag

  20. Mexicool

    He will be missed by everyone. And he left this world while giving us the best Joker that has ever been portrayed. Thanks Heath, later:-(

    4 years agoby @mexicoolFlag

  21. CelluloidDreams

    I just found this info 01/23/2008

    Heath Ledger Autopsy Inconclusive! Plus: New Drug Details

    The initial autopsy results on Heath Ledger - who was found dead in his rented New York City apartment on Tuesday - are inclusive, the medical examiner's office said Wednesday. Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner, said more tests are needed to determine the cause of death. The tests will take about 10 days to complete, Borakove said.

    New York's WCBS 2 is reporting that along with the prescription drugs that were found in Ledger's apartment, police also recovered a $20 bill with narcotic residue on it and several drug packets containing an unknown substance. CBS 2 reports the items were all listed on the official police report from the scene, however, it is unknown whether the items belonged to Ledger or if he ingested them.

    At a press conference Wednesday, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly responded to the report saying no illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia were found in the apartment. As for the $20 bill, Kelly confirmed that the bill was found on the floor near Ledger's bed and it would be sent to a lab for testing for any possible drug residue. Kelly added there was no visible residue on the bill.

    According to a medical examiner spokeswoman, Ledger's body was released Wednesday afternoon and taken to the Frank E. Campbell funeral home.

    Meanwhile, after learning of their son's death through the media, Heath's parents faced reporters outside their home in Australia to discuss the actor's untimely passing. Heath's father, Kim, read a statement as his mother Sally and sister Kate tearfully embraced.

    "We, Heath's family, confirm, the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda. He was found peacefully asleep in his New York apartment by his housekeeper at 3:30 p.m. U.S. time," the statement read.

    "We would like to thank our friends and everyone around the world for their well wishes and kind thoughts at this time. Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life but few had the pleasure of truly knowing him. He was a down to earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving and selfless individual who was extremely inspirational to many. Please now respect our family's need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately."

    NYPD spokesman Paul Browne told reporters, "We are investigating the possibility of an overdose. There were pills within the vicinity of the bed."

    Law-enforcement sources said bottles of the generic forms of Xanax and Valium, both anti-anxiety drugs prescribed in his name, were found in the house, The New York Post. The sleeping pill Ambien was also found near his body, sources told The Post, and Donormyl, an antihistamine used as a sleep aid, and a packet of the insomnia drug Zopiclone, were found on Ledger's nightstand.

    Michelle Williams, Ledger ex and the mother of his 2-year-old daughter Matilda, is devasted, according to reports. She was flying back to New York from Sweden where she was working on a film. "It has just broken everybody's heart in my family," Larry Williams, Michelle's dad, told The Daily Telegraph in Australia. "My heart goes out to everyone, his family, my family, we are just very saddened. The saddest thing is his daughter, whom he just loved dearly."

    4 years agoby @2movieguysFlag

  22. ~Joy

    I will be anxiously waiting for the results of what really happened to this successful actor.

    4 years agoby @jannsalazFlag

  23. The Narrator: The Better Man

    he will be missed. hopefully hes happy wherever he is..

    4 years agoby @narratorFlag

  24. THE JOKER

    ok i found it. but they said there was NO evidence he had been snorting drugs as there was no drugs found on the dollar bills.

    4 years agoby @mcleve02Flag

  25. spensq

    You're an *sshole for posting a link like that.

    4 years agoby @spensqFlag

  26. DarkKnightJunkie2767

    I'm not sure if anyone has seen one of Heath's last photo shoots. You can clearly see the tiredness in his eyes. And he looks just so distraught. He will be missed greatly.

    http://www.queerclick.com/archive/2006/01/heath_ledger_nu_1.html

    4 years agoby @darkknightjunkie2767Flag

  27. THE JOKER

    i have been looking and looking everywhere about him snorting and all this you are saying and i cant find it anywhere. its not true. still do not know what the actual cause of death was.

    4 years agoby @mcleve02Flag

  28. CelluloidDreams

    Wednesday 23 January 2008

    600 mourners say goodbye to the young star

    Brad Renfro was laid to rest in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee on Monday.

    Over 600 mourners showed up to pay their respects to the 25-year old actor whose cause of death remains undetermined.

    The former child star - who found fame in John Grisham's The Client - was found unconscious in a friend's apartment last Tuesday.

    During the service Brad's great uncle paid tribute to the troubled actor, reports Knoxville's News Sentinel.

    'Brad had problems just like I have problems, just like you have problems, just like all of us have trials and tribulations that we go through,' he said.

    Since he death, it has emerged that Brad had fathered a secret son, believed to be living in Japan with his mother.

    'We're very thankful Brad got to see his son before he died,' Brad's stepmother Kim Renfro tells TMZ.

    Meanwhile, Hollywood is still reeling from the death of another young Hollywood star.

    Heath Ledger, 28, was found dead in his apartment yesterday afternoon - the cause of death is still not known.

    4 years agoby @2movieguysFlag

  29. CelluloidDreams

    Jan. 23, 2008, 2:35 PM EST

    NEW YORK (AP) -- A rolled-up $20 bill was found near Heath Ledger's body, though no illegal drugs were found in his apartment, police said Wednesday -- the same day an autopsy on the "Brokeback Mountain" actor came back inconclusive.

    The bill would be taken to a lab for testing, though no visible drug residue was found on it, police said. NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly released the information at a Manhattan news conference, but did not elaborate on whether police think the bill, discovered on the floor near Ledger's bed, may have been used to snort drugs.

    Prescription sleeping pills and anti-anxiety pills were found in bottles in Ledger's bedroom and bathroom. Police said the death was caused by a possible drug overdose and appeared to be accidental.

    4 years agoby @2movieguysFlag

  30. Ethlenn

    With this news started my day early this morning. I'm a little bit devastated. No one knew about his problems and sadly we know about it only now... He will be missed.

    4 years agoby @ethlennFlag

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