Heath Ledger found dead...

[sureibu]

This is really sad. Add me to the long list of fans.

 

[graceanne]

Holy Cow. That's just too bad.

 

[~His Kitten~]

*Sighs*

It brings back memories of other sudden deaths for me. He went out on his own terms. Forever young. And in his own way, he will live on.

 

[HottieMama]

Thought some might like this one...

 

[Essene]

Thought some might like this one...

(*Chuckles* HM!!!)

The reports are weird. Supposedly he was just a really bad insomniac and had just started taking ambien but they weren't doing anything for him?

I know how hard it is to not be able to sleep...what time is it again?

And his baby... Oh just so sad and tragic.

 

[graceanne]

(*Chuckles* HM!!!)

The reports are weird. Supposedly he was just a really bad insomniac and had just started taking ambien but they weren't doing anything for him?

I know how hard it is to not be able to sleep...what time is it again?

And his baby... Oh just so sad and tragic.

The whole thing is horrible. I feel so bad for his family. Especially since they'll never KNOW if it was suicide. Suicide is worse than an accident.

 

[Essene]

The whole thing is horrible. I feel so bad for his family. Especially since they'll never KNOW if it was suicide. Suicide is worse than an accident.

*nods*

 

[trisquel_astur]

I think he was a good actor.

What can go trough the mind of a so famous, young and handsome man to be so unhappy...

I can't realize.

R.I.P.

 

[ChilliJam]

Michael Hutchence I suspect....both Australian and both great talents and gorgeous men.

Catalina

That's true. I forgot that Heath was Australian. My mother wept when Michael died, she was a huge INXS fan.

 

[PleasurePuppy]

It's nice to see that some people actually care that he died. The mood around my campus is only concerned with the batman movie.

RIP

 

[Untamed_Tygress]

reports are also saying the residence he was found in was Mary Kate Olsen's.

I wonder what all that is about?

I also saw something about Mary Kate Olsen when i googled the story but i dont know if it's true or not. Supposedly his massuse was the one who found him dead and she called up Mary Kate who was on speed dial cuz she was really close friends with him before dialing 911, & she sent over 2 of her private guards to check it out. But it said it wasn't her residence.

And i read that the only drugs found on the scene were prescription sleeping pills, & that the autopsy was inconclusive and they need more time.

It's so sad hearing that someone that young has died!

 

[Untamed_Tygress]

ah, here we go...


Heath Ledger update: Two calls made to Olsen before 911 called
12:41PM Thursday January 24, 2008

The masseuse who found Heath Ledger's body twice rang the actress Mary-Kate Olsen, a friend of the Australian actor, before calling the emergency number 911, it's been reported.

The New York Times online, quoting unnamed New York City police officials, said the masseuse Diana Wolozin told Olsen that Ledger was unconscious.

Olsen said she would call some private security people she knew in New York, and hung up.

The Times said Wolozin again shook Ledger, called Olsen a second time, and said she believed the situation was grave and would call 911.

Wolozin called 911 at 3.26pm local time and reported that Ledger was not breathing.

The 911 call was made less than 15 minutes after Wolozin first saw Ledger in bed and only a few moments after the first call to Olsen.

The 911 operator urged Wolozin to try to revive Ledger, but she was unsuccessful.

Emergency medical workers arrived at 3.33pm, at the same time a private security guard called by Olsen arrived.

 

[@}-}rebecca----]

Circumspect rumors around tragedy bother me, I do have to say however, if the reports of his usage of Ambien is confirmed by the Coroner, this will remain a puzzle. I have spoken to people in Australian media here, representatives of the medical field, friends, family and posted on the Lit Boards on the topic of this drug. It has serious contraindications that the manufacturers refuse still to the best of my knowledge to acknowledge. I had a very personal stake in it, the drug under the name of Stilnox was prescribed for me short term to break a pattern of severe insomnia. If that drug is confirmed, I for one will never believe Heath knowingly took his own life.

 

[intothewoods]

Circumspect rumors around tragedy bother me, I do have to say however, if the reports of his usage of Ambien is confirmed by the Coroner, this will remain a puzzle. I have spoken to people in Australian media here, representatives of the medical field, friends, family and posted on the Lit Boards on the topic of this drug. It has serious contraindications that the manufacturers refuse still to the best of my knowledge to acknowledge. I had a very personal stake in it, the drug under the name of Stilnox was prescribed for me short term to break a pattern of severe insomnia. If that drug is confirmed, I for one will never believe Heath knowingly took his own life.

There doesn't appear to be any evidence of illegal drug use. He's used ambien, but it doesn't appear he od'ed on it. It's so sad. I just think this must be some freak reaction or weird hidden unknown condition.

 

[INSIDEYOURMIND]

I take prescription sleep medication, I have taken these for well over 15 years. Due to my medical issues, and the amount of medications I have to take daily, these drugs are a necessary evil.

Every year or so, my sleep med is changed to lessen the chance of dependency. A few years ago, I was given Ambien. I wasn't aware of any issues, and in fact I woke up clearer headed than in the past. Then.................

Strange things started to occur, at this time I was under the care of a PCA (Personal Care Attendant), she would come in to my home most days before I woke up, she began asking me why furniture was moved, or things were rearranged. I told her I had no recollection. I also started getting emails and phone calls from friends wondering why I was so rude, and cursing at them the previous night. Again, I had no recollection.

Then the capper, she came in one morning to find all the burners on my stove on high with burned pots holding odd ingredients, sandwiches prepared, stuffed in drawers, the house in complete disarray, and most importantly again, I had no recollection.

These episodes concerned me for a myriad of reasons, the first being I was worried I was stroking out, the second was an onset of ALS, or worse. I met with my Doctors, explained the issues, and they had a Pharmacologist do an audit of my meds, (I take over 35 pills a day).

They found that Ambien "could" cause sleepwalking, but the manufacturer would not acknowledge it as an issue. As soon as I stopped taking it, these episodes ceased.

If you are taking meds, be your own advocate, ask what they are prescribing, what is it for, and what could it do to you if combined with other drugs. This advice is even more important if you are hospitalized.

I now take Lunesta, I love that little butterfly!

 

[snowy ciara]

I feel bad for his daughter, because she's so little, she'll barely remember him aside from pictures and movies and stories. His movies have been on one of the cable stations all day.

 

[Kajira Callista]

Ambien...I can tell ya some stuff about ambien thats not so cool. But he was also taking anti-anxiety medication and allergy meds. I dont know how well all those go together but i take/have taken all three and I think the problem could have arose from the allergy meds mixed in. Sad though...very sad.

 

[Untamed_Tygress]

Yeah, Ambien sounds like some really dangerous stuff. Jack Nicholson was on the news talking about how he had to stop taking it cuz he almost drove his car off a cliff while on it.

 

[subgrl18]

In Touch reports his parents found out from watching the news. Ledger's uncle said,
"His mother and father heard of his death on the news. We are all devastated. The whole family is devastated over his death, and more so over having to learn of his death from the media."

TMZ reports Ledger was suffering from pneumonia at the time of death and that his family has been notified the death was accidental: "They are particularly distraught over media reports that he may have taken his own life. The family says he was not that kind of person."

At a press conference late Tuesday evening police confirmed that Ledger was found naked, face down in a bedroom in an apartment he was renting. He was found at 2:45 by his housekeeper and masseuse when the latter showed up for a scheduled appointment. Contrary to early reports, there were not pills strewn around, but there were pill bottles, including prescription sleeping medications. It is not known how long Ledger had been in the apartment.

that is so horrible.. so sad, that his family had to find out from the media.

 

[bronntanas]

[Banning it] is hilarious and very immature of a society. If two people are loving ... I think we should be more concerned if two people express anger in love, than love.”

Great actor, smart dude.

 

[coy_one]

I used to be more of a part of a post tramatic stress disorder website and several people complained about the weird effects of ambien. That was almost three years ago.

I take something different for my own insomnia issues. But always kept it in the back of my mind the bad things that happen while on it and advise others to do more research when I hear they are on it.

I hope this was an accident and not a suicide. I really do.

 

[bronntanas]

Probably wasn't suicide, though we'll never know for sure. But he was taking a lot of stuff for various reasons. You gotta be careful that way, and make sure your drs know what all you're taking.

 

[@}-}rebecca----]

In reference to the posts above by Miss ITW, IYM, Miss KC, Untamed_Tygress, Coy-One & our Bron in regards to Ambien usage. It's not that I think for a moment that anyone need OD on the drug, it's the immediate ramifications of taking the drug itself that many people report abstract behaviors while under Dr's prescription for it. I remain very cynical in regards to the ethics of the Pharmaceutical Company that manufactures Ambien ( marketed as Stilnox here) in this specific instance. I simply don't understand how the moment this drug is discussed a range of people I personally find to be credible are able to so readily contribute first hand stories of transient distortions of behavior while asleep and medicated by this drug, as I experienced.

Ohh gawd I am about to link again, help meeeeee.

Actually saves time, something I don't have in abundance currently.

Post Link General Board

Post Link BDSM Cafe

 

[@}-}rebecca----]

The New York Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, after analysing toxicology results, said Ledger died of an accidental overdose death "resulting from the abuse of prescription medications".

Sydney Morning Herald Link

Ledger played Russian roulette with drugs: experts


February 7, 2008


Heath Ledger would have had a better chance of surviving a game of Russian roulette than the cocktail of pills he consumed before his death, a US drug expert said.

Test results released by the New York medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Ledger reveal the 28-year-old took five different prescription painkiller or anti-anxiety drugs, as well as an over-the-counter antihistamine.

The six drugs detected in his blood - oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine - are all designed to suppress the central nervous system and help a person sleep.

Taken together, the drugs created a potent mix, with death a significant possibility, the drug experts said.

"The one dose of oxycodone or the one dose of alprazolam, fine," Professor Margaret Gnegy, director of the University of Michigan Substance Abuse Research Centre, said.

"When you add them on, it's not fine. It's quite serious."

Martin Iguchi, professor of public health at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and an adjunct senior behavioural scientist at LA's RAND Drug Policy Research Centre, agreed.

Mixing 'very dangerous'

"That kind of mixing is obviously very dangerous," Professor Iguchi said.

The New York Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, after analysing toxicology results, said Ledger died of an accidental overdose death "resulting from the abuse of prescription medications".

Ledger, the Perth-born star of Brokeback Mountain, Monster's Ball and the upcoming Batman sequel, The Dark Knight, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on January 22.

He was naked and lying in his bed.

Some drug experts wonder how suicide could be ruled out considering the amount of drugs Ledger consumed.

"He was playing Russian roulette," said Patti Geier, a New York-based psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker.

"I was thinking when I heard [about the findings], 'How do they really know for sure it was accidental? How do they know for sure he wasn't thinking when he took them - I've had enough?' "

Professor Gnegy went one step further when told of Ms Geier's "Russian roulette" analogy.

"I think it is more certain than Russian roulette," Professor Gnegy, who specialises in pharmacology, said.

"Russian roulette you may have one bullet out of six.

Decked stacked

"When you add all of those drugs together that deck is really stacked."

Spokeswoman for the New York medical examiner, Ellen Borakove, said suicide was ruled out because there was no evidence Ledger wanted to take his life.

Ms Borakove refused to divulge the quantities of drugs in Ledger's blood because it was not "public information".

But a source with knowledge of the tests said suicide was ruled out because the amount of each drug in Ledger's system was low.

Ms Borakove said there were no traces of illegal drugs, such as heroin or cocaine, found in Ledger's body.

The six drugs Ledger took are commonly prescribed in the US and Australia.

Oxycodone is the active ingredient in the powerful painkiller OxyContin, hydrocodone is found in another popular painkiller, Vicodin, while diazepam is sold under the commercial name Valium.

Alprazolam is commonly known under the anti-anxiety drug brand name Xanax and the sleeping pill temazepam is sold as Restoril.

Doxylamine is found in common over-the-counter sleep aids or cough medicines.

"That's the trouble," Professor Gnegy said.

"You take some that you think are OK, but then they all add on to each other and people don't realise that. Even antihistamines."

Insomnia battle

Ledger went public with his battle with insomnia during an interview last year, revealing he was taking the sleeping pill Ambien.

"Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night," Ledger told The New York Times.

"I couldn't stop thinking.

"My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."

Ledger said he had taken two Ambien pills, which gave him only an hour of sleep.

"For a normal person, two Ambien would knock them out for the rest of the night at least," Professor Geier said.

Patients, however, often build a tolerance to medication, forcing them to take more than the prescribed dose.

"I knew someone who had been taking 60 Valium a day because she had built up such a tolerance," Professor Geier explained.

"Another person was taking 30 Vicodin a day and barely even feeling it.

Depressants

"Also, all of those drugs are depressants.

"When they are in your body for a while you become depressed."

Patients also took drugs in unconventional ways to give a bigger and quicker hit, including snorting crushed up drugs.

A rolled up $20 note was found near Ledger's body, but New York police said Ledger had not used it to snort drugs.

"Oxycodone can be very, very powerful if one crushes it up and snorts it," Professor Geier said.

"If you take it orally, it will take longer to work."

The mix of drugs, with most of them designed to relax the body's central nervous system, most likely resulted in Ledger's body slowly shutting down, with the actor unaware he would die.

"They all work on your central nervous system," Professor Geier explained.

"They slow you down. They slow down his heart beat. They slow down his breathing.

"Everything is slowed down and he could have just stopped breathing, or his heart could have stopped beating and he could have slipped into a coma very easily.

"I'm sure he didn't know what was happening. He might have just fallen asleep."

Premier's plea

In Perth today, West Australian Premier Alan Carpenter appealed to the media to let Ledger's family grieve in privacy.

"The family have been thrust into the spotlight, obviously in the worst of all circumstances,'' he told ABC Online.

"One of the great things that Heath Ledger was able to reflect upon was that when he came back to Western Australia it was a haven where he could just walk around like a normal citizen.''

AAP

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/02/07/1202234020591.html