One Year Anniversary Of Heath Ledger’s Death (Photos)

Posted on January 22, 2009

It was one year ago on this day that actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment. Read more on Heath Ledger’s life and death on the one year anniversary marking Ledger’s passing below.

The shocking news that the star of Brokeback Mountain had died, slowly began to leak out on Jan 22 2008.

The next morning found tons of reporters and mourning fans began to fill the streets outside his SoHo bachelor apartment. Fans sadly watched as Ledger’s body was being carried out in a black bodybag.

Details of Ledger’s death emerged of the bizarre things that occurred on the day of Heath’s death.

Heath’s masseuse found him unconscious in bed, but didn’t call 911… she instead called actress Mary-Kate Olsen, who he had reportedly been dating for several months.

The masseuse finally called for an ambulance and Mary-Kate, who was in L.A., sent her bodyguard to the apartment, who arrived at the same time as the paramedics.

Heath Ledger was pronounced dead.

Ledger’s family quickly arranged a memorial service for their only son, and on Jan 26, his friends — including ex-girlfriend Naomi Watts — gathered at Westwood Village Memorial Park to comfort each other.

Michelle didn’t attend, but on Feb 1, she gave her own statement via Heath’s publicist. “My heart is broken,” she said.

“I am the mother of the most tender-hearted, high-spirited, beautiful little girl who is the spitting image of her father,” Williams said in her statement.

“All that I can cling to is his presence inside her that reveals itself every day. His family and I watch Matilda as she whispers to trees, hugs animals, and takes steps two at a time and we know that he is with us still. She will be brought up with the best memories of him.”

She then flew to Australia with Matilda in time for another memorial service on Feb. 9.

On Feb 6, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York said that, “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,” it reported.

On Jan 11 Heath won a posthumous Golden Globe for Best Actor In A Supporting Role for his breath-taking Joker in The Dark Knight.

“For any of us lucky enough to work with him, he will never be forgotten,” said the film’s director Chris Nolan, tearfully accepting the award on Heath’s behalf.

“Our movie is great. but he elected it to a completely different place,” said Heath Ledger’s friend and Dark Knight co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal at the ceremony. “It’s hard to be that good in a movie that big.”

Today Heath Ledger’s nomination was announced for Best Actor In A Supporting role on Jan 22 2009 for an Academy Award.

Click Thumbnails for Larger Pictures