Heath Ledger News

First Call After Ledger Was Found: Olsen

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: January 24, 2008

Filed at 9:32 a.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) -- A massage therapist who discovered a lifeless Heath Ledger in his Manhattan apartment made her first call to Mary-Kate Olsen, according to an in-depth timeline police released Wednesday of the moments surrounding the Australian-born actor's death.

Police said Ledger probably died sometime between 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday of what authorities say may be an accidental drug overdose.

Authorities found six types of prescription drugs in Ledger's apartment, including pills to treat insomnia and anxiety, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. Three of the drugs were prescribed in Europe, where Ledger had been filming recently.

Ledger's housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, arrived at his apartment with her own key and let herself in. At 1 p.m., she went to his bedroom to change a light bulb, and saw Ledger sleeping and heard him snoring. She left the room without thinking anything was wrong.

At 2:45 p.m., massage therapist Diana Wolozin showed up for her appointment with Ledger, who didn't answer when she knocked on his door. She then tried to call him on his cell phone, but again got no response. She went into the bedroom, set up her massage table and again tried to wake Ledger.

Wolozin told police that Ledger was cold to the touch, but that she assumed he was just unconscious. She grabbed his cell phone and called Mary Kate Olsen, whose number was programmed into the phone. Wolozin knew that the ''Full House'' star and Ledger were friends, and she asked Olsen for advice on what she should do next.

Olsen, who also lives in Manhattan but was in California at the time, responded by saying she would send over her private security guards to help deal with the situation. In the ensuing moments, Wolozin realized that Ledger might be dead. She called Olsen again, then called 911.

The emergency operator provided Wolozin directions on how to do CPR, but it was too late.

Paramedics arrived minutes later -- at about the same time as Olsen's security guards.

Messages left at telephone numbers listed for Wolozin and Solomon were not returned Wednesday.

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Tests on Heath Ledger to Take Days

Thursday January 24 9:05 AM ET

To many who saw Heath Ledger in the last months of his life, the actor appeared to be happy, healthy and excited "in a great place," in the words of one friend.

Which only made his sudden end feel more tragic.

Haydn Ledger, one of the 28-year-old actor's uncles, said his nephew wouldn't have done anything rash. "It just wouldn't come into the equation at all," he said Thursday in an interview on CBS' "The Early Show."

He and Mike Ledger, another of the actor's uncles, deflected a question about whether their nephew had been depressed, saying that should be left to his parents to address.

Ledger told The New York Times in November that working on the films "The Dark Knight" and "I'm Not There" had been stressful, and that he was struggling with sleeplessness and had taken the sleep aid Ambien.

Medical examiner's office spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said an autopsy Wednesday was inconclusive and that authorities would know more in about 10 days, when more tests are expected to be complete.

Ledger's housekeeper and a massage therapist found the actor dead Tuesday, lying naked and face-down on his bed, police said.

There were six different types of prescription drugs in the room, including pills to treat insomnia and anxiety, and an antihistamine, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

A rolled-up $20 bill was found on the floor near the bed, but New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said lab tests found nothing to indicate the bill had been used to snort drugs. Police also said no illegal drugs were found in the apartment.

Lee Daniels, who produced the critically acclaimed 2001 movie "Monster's Ball," in which Ledger starred, strongly disputed any notion that Ledger had a drug problem.

"The definition of substance abuse is really up to one's perspective," Daniels said. "I didn't see him as a drug addict. I saw him as someone who enjoyed life. I know drug addicts he was not a drug addict."

The law enforcement officials said three of the drugs were prescribed in Europe. Ledger had recently been filming in London.

Daniels also said the Australian-born actor was in great spirits when they saw each other a few months ago.

"He was in a good mood, he was in a great place ... he was excited about living in New York," Daniels said.

Police said Ledger probably died between 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. Tuesday. At 1 p.m., the housekeeper went into his bedroom to change a light bulb, saw him sleeping and heard him snoring.

"I didn't think anything was wrong," the housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, told the New York Post. She said she was "still shaking" and unable to sleep a day after the actor's death.

At 2:45 p.m., the massage therapist showed up for Ledger's appointment, knocked on his door and got no answer. She later noticed Ledger was unconscious and called actress Mary-Kate Olsen, whose number was programmed into Ledger's cell phone, to seek advice, police said.

Olsen said she would send over her private security. In the ensuing moments, the massage therapist realized that Ledger might be dead, called Olsen again, and then called 911. Paramedics and Olsen's security people arrived minutes later.

News of the death stunned family, fans and colleagues.

"Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life," said Ang Lee, who directed Ledger to an Oscar nomination in the 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain." "He brought to the role of Ennis more than any of us could have imagined a thirst for life, for love and for truth, and a vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him. His death is heartbreaking."

Before moving to Manhattan, Ledger lived with then-girlfriend Michelle Williams in a four-story, sage-green Brooklyn brownstone with a black wrought-iron fence. Ledger was a frequent guest at the Brawta Caribbean Cafe two blocks from the house, owner Jennifer Ewers said.

"He was a perfect gentleman. He comes in here with his hoodie on, reads a book, and gives you a peace sign," she said. "He was always with his daughter, playing hide-and-seek among the plants, or on his skateboard, peeking his head in."

Fans left flowers and candles Wednesday outside the Brooklyn home and Ledger's apartment in Manhattan's tony SoHo neighborhood. Khaled Ali, 41, a stage manager for a Broadway show, dropped off a candle at the apartment building on his way to work, saying he and fellow cast members were devastated.

"I felt a connection with him as an actor, as a fellow in the theater community," he said. "With 'Brokeback Mountain' he touched me personally in telling the story of my community. It was very touching."

Intense roles became Ledger's trademark soon after he got his start in such teen movies as "10 Things I Hate About You." He buried his Australian accent and downplayed his leading-man looks as a sexually confused cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," a drug addict in "Candy," and an incarnation of Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There."

His role as the Joker in the upcoming Batman movie "The Dark Knight" may be his final finished performance.

Ledger split last year with Williams, who played his wife in "Brokeback." The two had a daughter, the now 2-year-old Matilda.

Williams and Matilda returned to their Brooklyn home Wednesday evening from Trollhattan, Sweden. The 27-year-old actress had been there shooting scenes for the upcoming film "Mammoth," said Martin Stromberg, a spokesman for film production company Memfis Film.

Stromberg said Williams had gotten the news of Ledger's death at her hotel late Tuesday night.

Streams of reporters and a thicket of satellite trucks on Wednesday surrounded Ledger's Manhattan apartment, where some letters were piled among well-wishers' bouquets and candles.

One handwritten note on plain white paper read:

"Heath, how could anyone hate 10 things about you. We couldn't find one bad thing about you. God bless your soul, you're in our prayers."

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Associated Press writers Nekesa Mumbi Moody and Clare Trapasso contributed to this report.

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Funeral Arrangements for Ledger Complete
Thursday January 24 12:57 PM ET

Funeral arrangements for Heath Ledger have been completed and his relatives were expected to arrive in New York on Friday, a funeral home spokesman said.

George Amado, the general manager of the Frank E. Campbell funeral home, refused to disclose any more details, saying that any additional information would have to come from Ledger's manager.

"The family doesn't want us to give out any information," he said Thursday.

The 28-year-old actor's body was taken to the funeral home on Manhattan's Upper East Side on Wednesday, a day after he was found dead in his SoHo loft with bottles of prescription drugs nearby.

An autopsy Wednesday was inconclusive and further test results weren't expected to be known for several days, the medical examiner's office said. Police have said the Australian-born actor's death may have been caused by a drug overdose and appeared to be accidental.

On Thursday, the makeshift memorial outside Ledger's apartment building had grown to more than 100 bouquets of tulips, daisies, carnations and tropical flowers, along with candles, signs, notes and other memorials.

A computer printout of an Australian flag bore the message: "We will always be proud of you, Heath. Rest in peace, mate. You will be missed."