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Feb 6, 2008 3:32 pm US/Pacific
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Accidental Overdose Killed Heath Ledger
NYC Medical Examiner Says Mix Of Drugs Included Painkillers, Sleeping Pills, Anti-Anxiety Meds
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs that included painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication, the New York City medical examiner said Wednesday.
"Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine," medical examiner's spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said in a statement.
The drugs are the generic names for the OxyContin painkiller, the anti-anxiety drug Valium, Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, and the sleep aids Restoril and Unisom.
Ledger was found in his New York City apartment last month.
Initial autopsy results were inconclusive.
Authorities have contended since the beginning of the investigation that the death of the 28-year-old Australian-born actor was caused by a possible drug overdose.
Police sources offered strong evidence of that theory to CBS station WCBS-TV, saying bottles of the prescription anxiety drugs Valium and Zoloft, along with the prescription sleeping medication Ambien were all found inside Ledger's $24,000 a month, three-bedroom loft in New York's City tony SoHo neighborhood.
Police confirmed that bottles of prescription drugs belonging to Ledger were taken from the apartment.
Ledger was found naked and unresponsive by a housekeeper while he was waiting for a masseuse. He was pronounced dead a short time later.
In the media circus now surrounding his death, many are talking about how moody and depressed the Oscar-nominated actor seemed since September, after he moved out of the Brooklyn home he shared with "Brokeback Mountain" co-star Michelle Williams. The two have a daughter together and were engaged to be married last year.
Fans were floored by the news, with many of them showing up outside Ledger's place in SoHo.
In Ledger's last interview on Nov. 4 he told the New York Times he was having trouble sleeping while filming his role as the "Joker" in an upcoming Batman film, "The Dark Knight." He said he had to take the prescription sleep aid Ambien and that he "probably slept an average of two hours a night. I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."
Most recently, Ledger was featured in the Bob Dylan biography film "I'm Not There."
Of the most well-known 15 films Ledger appeared in: "The Patriot," "A Knight's Tale," and "Monster's Ball." He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in "Brokeback Mountain."
"I had such great hope for him," said Mel Gibson, who played Ledger's vengeful father in "The Patriot," in a statement. "He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss."
In 2001, People magazine named Ledger as one of its "50 Most Beautiful People."
According to a quote from Ledger listed on his profile on the Internet Movie Database, the star enjoyed living life one day at a time.
"I'm not good at future planning. I don't plan at all," he said. "I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow. I don't have a day planner and I don't have a diary. I completely live in the now, not in the past, not in the future."
He would have turned 29 on April 4.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)