Heath Ledger (April 4, 1979 – January 22, 2008)

Australian actor Heath Ledger, a Oscar & Golden Globle nominiee, has died at the age of 28. Ledger was found unconcious in his fourth-floor apartment at 421 Broome Street in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. He was found today at 3:26 p.m. EST by a housekeeper and a massage therapist, both had entered the bedroom to find him face down and unconscious at the foot of his bed with sleeping pills on a nearby night table. Police have stated that they also found prescription medication in the bathroom and that there were "no obvious signs" of suicide, nor did they suspect foul play.

Update: January 23, 2008 (Australian time), Ledger's parents and sister—who learned of his death from a radio broadcast—appeared outside Ledger's mother's house in Applecross, a riverside Perth suburb, and read a short statement to the media:

We, [Heath's family], confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved 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 [New York Time]. 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.

In reaction to his death, former partner Michelle Williams was reported as saying that she was "devastated" at the loss and had boarded a plane to New York City.

Filmography
Paws
Clowning Around
Blackrock
10 Things I Hate about you
Two Hands
The Patriot
Monster's Ball
A Knight's Tale
The Four Feathers
The Order
Ned Kelly
Casanova
Brokeback Mountain
Nautica
The Brothers Grimm
Lords of Dogtown
Candy
I'm Not There
The Dark Knight
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (In production at time of death)
Tree of Life (Never Completed)