Actor Heath Ledger died of accidental overdose
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 6, 2008 | 11:14 AM ET
CBC News
Related
Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, the New York City medical examiner's office has ruled.
The results were released Wednesday, as his family was planning a private memorial in his home town of Perth, Australia.
Heath Ledger at the 78th Academy Awards in March 2006, where he was nominated for an Oscar for best actor in a leading role for his work in Brokeback Mountain.
(Chris Carlson/Associated Press)
Ledger, 28, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on Jan. 22.
The medical examiner said he had ingested a mix of prescription drugs, including painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication.
"Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alparzolam and doxylamine," medical examiner's spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said in a statement.
The drugs are the generic names for the painkillers OxyContin and Hycodan, the anti-anxiety drugs Valium and Xanax, and the sleep aids Restoril and Unisom.
None of the drugs was taken in concentrations high enough to be lethal on their own, the report said, but the combination was deadly.
The actor was reported to have prescriptions from several doctors in the U.S. and the U.K.
Police said there were no illegal drugs in his apartment and no indications that he took his own life.
Ledger is expected to be buried at a private funeral in Perth this week.
Medication has 'hidden dangers': Ledger's father
Ledger's father, Kim, released a statement Wednesday after getting news of the medical examiner's report.
"While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy," Ledger said.
"Heath's accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage."
Ledger's father, mother Sally Ledger Bell and sister Kate arrived in Perth on Tuesday after attending two memorial services in Los Angeles.
Ledger's former fiancée, Michelle Williams, also arrived in the Australian city with their two-year-old daughter Matilda.
In a statement released earlier this week, Williams said: "My heart is broken."
Ledger was nominated for an Academy Award for playing the gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain.
He was also known for his roles in Monster's Ball and A Knight's Tale.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Attack on Syrian villages deadliest yet, activists say
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, activists say, and as many as half the victims may have been children. more »
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- Tornado touchdown confirmed near Montreal
- Trees were uprooted, roofs damaged and windows shattered as severe thunderstorms, and possibly a tornado, rattled through southwestern Quebec Friday night. more »
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest
- The deaths of six climbers last weekend on Mt. Everest, with more summits underway this weekend, fuels the debate about the risks and responsibilities of high altitude climbing. more »
Latest World News Headlines
- Attack on Syrian villages deadliest yet, activists say
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, activists say, and as many as half the victims may have been children. more »
- Ex-Mubarak PM vows not to recreate old regime
- The last prime minister of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is denying claims that he's trying to recreate the old regime. more »
- 3rd most-wanted Nazi war criminal dies in Germany
- Klaas Carel Faber, a Dutch native who fled to Germany after being convicted in the Netherlands of Nazi war crimes and subsequently lived in freedom despite several attempts to try or extradite him, has died. He was 90. more »
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Bad weather has hampered the recovery team that is attempting to bring down the body of a Toronto woman who died trying to climb Mt. Everest. more »
Dispatches »
- Foreign slaves serving the U.S. military machine May. 24, 2012 3:33 PM How does a hairdresser recruited for work in Dubai, wind up slaving for the U.S. military in a war zone in Iraq? There are tens of thousands serving in what's come to be known as America's "Invisible Army."
Connect Newsroom Blog
Etan Patz, Brian Banks & 50 Shades of Grey May. 25, 2012 8:56 PM On his first full day of his new life, former football star Brian Banks joins us live.
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- Pope's butler arrested in Vatican leaks scandal
- B.C. premier unhappy with disgraced Mountie's transfer
- Everest victim's husband says family not seeking government help
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest
- Tornado touchdown confirmed near Montreal
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Canada ending 'Buffalo shuffle' for visas, closing consulate
- Ottawa man in hospital after lightning strike
