Heath Ledger's tragic final hours - from sister's chilling warning to his death bed

Fifteen years ago, the world was shocked by the tragic passing of Hollywood star Heath Ledger. He was only 28 when he was discovered lifeless in bed by his masseuse.

He left a daughter, Matilda, now 18, behind with ex-partner Michelle Williams. The Australian actor had spent months getting into the character of The Joker for Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight movie.

After parting ways with Michelle, he moved into a Manhattan apartment. Struggling with insomnia and 'walking pneumonia', his buddy and occasionally roomie, Gerry Grennell, shared that an anxious Heath would often pace around the apartment.

He said to People magazine: "I would hear him wandering around the apartment and I'd get up and say, 'Come on, man, get back to bed, you have to work tomorrow.' He said, 'I can't sleep, man.'"

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On January 22, 2008, at 12:30 pm, Heath's housekeeper found him face down in bed with sheets around his shoulders. She told The Associated Press she heard him snoring while she was there to change a light bulb.

At 3 pm, Diana Wolozin, his massage therapist, came over but got no reply from either his bedroom door or his cell phone. Diana was shocked to find Heath cold and unresponsive when she tried to wake him in his bedroom.

She immediately called 911, and the operator guided her through CPR until paramedics arrived. According to reports, medical technicians tried to revive the Brokeback Mountain star with CPR and a cardiac defibrillator, but he was pronounced dead at 3:36 pm.

Rumors quickly spread about the cause of his sudden death, with many suggesting that his role as The Joker and his breakup with Michelle had led to depression. However, an autopsy revealed that Ledger died from "acute intoxication" due to a mix of prescription drugs. His death was ruled accidental.

"Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine," said Ellen Borakove, the spokeswoman for the medical examiner. In 2017, forensic pathologist Dr. Jason Payne-James stated that the combination of oxycodone and hydrocodone was fatal.

Before his death, friends had expressed concern about Heath's increasing dependence on prescription pills. The night before, his sister Kate had pleaded with the star to cut back on some of his medications. "You can't mix drugs that you don't know anything about," their dad, Kim, remembered her saying.

"I'll be fine," Heath responded. His family believes his tragic failure to listen to this warning ultimately cost him his life.

"It just put his whole system to sleep I guess," Kim told news.com.au, expressing his sorrow over Heath's refusal to heed his sister's advice. Kim added: "It was a one-off thing. That's what killed us because he was warned by his sister the night before: 'You shouldn't mix what you're taking for pneumonia with your Ambien.'"

"He was a young guy that traveled all the time for work. Even as a two-year-old, he hardly ever slept," he added, "He was trying to work and travel and do everything in a short space of time."

Kim continued, "Heath mixed a couple of drugs together with sleeping tablets and he's gone forever."

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