Heath Ledger's Death: Accident or Murder?

"If you are just safe about your choices you make, you just don't grow."

Heath Andrew Ledger was born April 4th, 1979 in Perth, Western Australia to Sally, a French teacher, and Kim Ledger, a racing car driver and mining engineer. 

He found a passion for playing chess. At the age of 10, he won Western Australia's Junior Chess Championship. 

Heath attended Guildford Grammar School, where he had his first acting experiences, starring in a school production as Peter Pan at the age of 13. His parents divorced when he was 11.

Heath's older sister Kate, an actress and later a publicist, to whom he was very close, inspired his acting on stage, and his love of Gene Kelly inspired his successful choreography. Heath has two half-sisters, Ashleigh Bell and Olivia Ledger.

Did you know that when Heath was young he loved Chuck Norris?

After sitting for early graduation exams at age 17, Heath left school and traveled cross country to pursue an acting career. 

Heath's professional acting job was as an orphaned clown in the first part of a 1992 two-part Australian television series called Clowning Around. 

He was in the short-lived Fox Broadcasting Company fantasy-drama Roar in 1997. The series was nominated for several awards and exposed Heath to American audiences and Fox executives. 

His feature film debut was in the 1997 Australian film Blackrock.  

Heath sought out an American agent and moved to Los Angeles, California when he was 19. 

His breakout role was in 1999 in the teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You. 

In 2000, Mel Gibson cast him as his son in the movie The Patriot. 

Also in 2000, he starred opposite of Billy Bob Thorton in the movie Monster's Ball. 

He received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his role in Brokeback Mountain. 

Heath played the Joker in the 2008 film The Dark Knight, which was released nearly six months after his death. 

Did you know that in the hospital scene when The Joker is seen dressed up as nurse, his name tag reads Matilda, the name of his daughter?

At the time of his death on 22 January 2008, Heath had completed about half of the work for his final film performance as Tony in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. The film was adapted after his death and fellow actors Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell play "fantasy transformations" of his character so that Heath's final performance could be seen in theaters.

Heath directed some music videos with his production company The Masses. 

Heath created and acted in a music video set to Nick Drake's recording of the singer's 1974 song about depression "Black Eyed Dog". 

He was working with Scottish screenwriter and producer Allan Scott on an adaptation of the 1983 novel The Queen's Gambit, which would have been his first feature film as a director. He also intended to act in the film. 

Heath's final directorial work, an animated feature for Modest Mouse's song, "King Rat", and the Woodroofe video for her cover of David Bowie's "Quicksand" premiered in 2009. 

It was on the set of Brokeback Mountain that Heath met actress Michelle Williams. 

The two had a child together, Matilda Rose, who was born on October 28th, 2005, in New York City. In September of 2007, Heath and Michelle ended their relationship.

On January 22, 2008, at about 3 p.m., Heath was found unconscious in his bed by his housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, and his masseuse, Diana Wolozin, at his loft in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. 

Wolozin used Heath's cell phone to call Heath's friend, Mary-Kate Olsen, for help. Olsen, who was in California, directed a New York City private security guard to go to the scene. At 3:26 pm, Wolozin telephoned 9-1-1 "to say that Mr. Ledger was not breathing". 

Wolozin administered CPR, which was unsuccessful in reviving him. Emergency medical technicians arrived at Ledger's apartment at 3:33 p.m., but were unable to revive him. At 3:36 pm, Heath was pronounced dead, and his body was removed from the apartment. 

Why did Wolozin call Olsen first? Did you know that Wolozin changed her story a few times, initially saying she called Mary-Kate two times when actually it was four times?Also later it was revealed she wasn’t a licensed therapist.

On February 6th, 2008, based on an initial autopsy and a subsequent complete toxicological analysis Heath's cause of death was an accident, resulting from the abuse of prescribed medications  oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine. Heath had a prescription for everything except oxycodone and hydrocodone in the lethal drug combination that killed him and it is still unknown where he got them from.

Before his death, Heath was sick and possibly had walking Pneumonia which he was taking medication for. He also had too much energy and had a hard time sleeping. Allegedly he was taking medication for that as well. 

It was initially theorized that Heath was depressed and his role as "Joker" in "the Dark Knight" made it worse, but his sister says he was happy. 

"I was really shocked, because that was him having fun.

 Every report was coming out that he was depressed and that [the role] was taking this toll on him, and we're going, honestly, it was the absolute opposite. 

It couldn't be more wrong.

He had an amazing sense of humor, and I guess maybe only his family and friends knew that, but he was having fun. 

He wasn't depressed about the Joker!"

Some people, Randy Quad being among them, claim that Heath was killed by the Illuminati.

After attending private memorial ceremonies in Los Angeles, Ledger's family members returned with his body to Perth. On 9 February, a memorial service attended by several hundred invited guests was held at Penrhos College. 

Afterward Heath's body was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery, followed by a private service attended by only 10 closest family members, with his ashes interred later in a family plot at Karrakatta Cemetery, next to two of his grandparents. 

Later that night, his family and friends gathered for a wake on Cottesloe Beach.

Did you know that Heath Ledger's estate was worth $20 million at the time of his death?