Memorial service takes place for Heath LedgerAt about 2:45 PM on January 22, 2008 , Ledger was found unconscious at his fourth-floor loft apartment, at 421 Broome Street, in the SoHo neighbourhood of New York City. Emergency crews arrived soon after but were unable to revive him.
After an initial autopsy on January 23, 2008, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York announced its conclusions based on the toxicology analysis on February 6, 2008: "Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine. ... We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications," prescribed commonly for treatment and alleviation of insomnia, anxiety, depression, pain, cold symptoms, and related ailments.The Medical Examiner's Office announced that it would not be publicly disclosing the official estimated time of death. After two weeks of speculation, the official announcement of the cause of his death heightened concerns about general "abuse of prescription medications."
In a November 2007 New York Times interview with Sarah Lyall, Ledger had stated that his recently-completed roles in The Dark Knight and I'm Not There had taken a toll on his ability to sleep: "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." At that time, he told Lyall that he had taken two Ambien pills, after taking just one had not sufficed, and those left him in "a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing." Prior to his return to New York from his last film assignment, in London, in January 2008, he was apparently suffering from some kind of respiratory illness.
After an initial autopsy on January 23, 2008, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York announced its conclusions based on the toxicology analysis on February 6, 2008: "Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine. ... We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications," prescribed commonly for treatment and alleviation of insomnia, anxiety, depression, pain, cold symptoms, and related ailments.The Medical Examiner's Office announced that it would not be publicly disclosing the official estimated time of death. After two weeks of speculation, the official announcement of the cause of his death heightened concerns about general "abuse of prescription medications."
In a November 2007 New York Times interview with Sarah Lyall, Ledger had stated that his recently-completed roles in The Dark Knight and I'm Not There had taken a toll on his ability to sleep: "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." At that time, he told Lyall that he had taken two Ambien pills, after taking just one had not sufficed, and those left him in "a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing." Prior to his return to New York from his last film assignment, in London, in January 2008, he was apparently suffering from some kind of respiratory illness.On January 23, 2008, Ledger's parents and sister appeared outside his mother's house in Applecross, a riverside Perth suburb, and read a short statement to the media expressing their grief and desire for privacy.
Two days later, memorial tributes were posted by family members, Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd, Warner Brothers (distributor of The Dark Knight, his final completed film), and thousands of Ledger's fans around the world.
On February 1, 2008, Michelle Williams' first public statement on the death expressed her heartbreak and described her seeing Ledger's spirit surviving in their daughter.
After private memorial ceremonies in Los Angeles, Ledger's family members returned with his body to Perth, Western Australia. On February 9, 2008, a memorial service attended by several hundred invited guests was held at Penhros College. Following the memorial, Ledger's body was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery, and his ashes were expected to be "interred in a family plot ... next to those of two of his grandparents." Later that night, his family and friends gathered for a wake on Cottesloe Beach.
Two days later, memorial tributes were posted by family members, Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd, Warner Brothers (distributor of The Dark Knight, his final completed film), and thousands of Ledger's fans around the world.
On February 1, 2008, Michelle Williams' first public statement on the death expressed her heartbreak and described her seeing Ledger's spirit surviving in their daughter.
After private memorial ceremonies in Los Angeles, Ledger's family members returned with his body to Perth, Western Australia. On February 9, 2008, a memorial service attended by several hundred invited guests was held at Penhros College. Following the memorial, Ledger's body was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery, and his ashes were expected to be "interred in a family plot ... next to those of two of his grandparents." Later that night, his family and friends gathered for a wake on Cottesloe Beach.
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