Movie News

Heath Ledger’s Death Ruled as “Accidental Overdose”

Posted by Michelle Graham (michelle@filmschoolrejects.com) on February 6, 2008

So, after a fortnight of headlines and a maelstrom of media frenzy, the sad story surrounding the death of a true talent, Heath Ledger, finally comes to a close. Ellen Borakove, the New York City medical examiner’s spokesperson has stated that the death has been ruled as an accidental overdose, and said the following in a press release:

“Mr Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine,”

However, she refused to state the concentrations of each drug in his system, and would not say if any one of them was found in a larger amount than the others. These drugs, two of which are anti-anxiety medications and two of which are sleeping aids, were not taken in excess and it was the combination of several forms of medication which appears to have caused Ledger’s death. Kim Ledger, Heath’s father, is quoted in a statement as saying:

“While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy” … “Heath’s accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage.”

Ledger’s work may yet still continue after his death, as The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, his final film, has yet to be completed. Many different stars have stepped forward and volunteered to complete the project in his sted, but no word has yet been released on what will happen to Ledger’s last footage. In the mean time, his penultimate work, The Dark Knight, in which he plays the Joker, is set for release on July 18th.