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Heath Ledger Autopsy Inconclusive

by Kathryn Durfee
01/23/2008

Authorities say the autopsy performed this morning on actor Heath Ledger, who was found dead in his Manhattan apartment yesterday afternoon are inconclusive. Ellen Borakove, the spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office says it will take about 10 days to determine the real cause of death through a series of more thorough tests.

Reports now say that prescription sleeping pills and anti-anxiety pills were found in bottles in both Ledger's bathroom and bedroom. His body was found naked and face down on his mattress with a pill bottle next to his body. Though initial reports suggested suicide, police now say that the young actor's death appears to have been accidental as there were still pills in the bottles. Commissioner Paul Browne, a representative of the NYC Police Department says that the reports that the pills were scattered around his body were untrue.

There was a $20 bill rolled "suspiciously" found in Ledger's apartment, but there was no visible residue of use for snorting drugs, a police representative declared.

The actor reportedly had pneumonia when he died. He had recently been in East London working on the set of his latest project, Terry Gilliam's The Imagination of Doctor Parnassus, which was set for a 2009 release.

Ledger's family spoke in front of Mrs. Ledger's house this morning. Kim Ledger, the actor's father, read a statement calmly expressing the family's grief and a request for private time to mourn.

"We, Heath's family, confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly beloved son, brother and doting father of Matilda, who was found in a peaceful sleep in his New York apartment by his housekeeper at 3:30pm. We would like to thank our friends and everyone around the world for their kind wishes at this time. Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life, but few had the pleasure to truly know him. He was a down-to-earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving and unselfish individual who was an extreme inspiration to many. Please now respect our family's need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately," Mr. Ledger said.

Hundreds of mourners have gathered outside of his apartment building, creating a makeshift memorial to Ledger. Michelle Williams has cancelled her filming projects in Sweden to fly to New York. Likewise, Naomi Watts, Ledger's former flame, has cancelled all interviews and appearances at the Sundance Film Festival. Fellow Australian actors mourn the loss of the Perth native. Nicole Kidman called the death a "tragedy," and Cate Blanchett expressed grief over her I'm Not There costar's untimely death. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was shocked to lose "one of our nation's finest actors in the prime of his life."

Toxicology reports and the official cause of death should be available in 10 to 14 days.

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