NEW YORK (AP/WCBS 880) -- (UPDATE 5:43am Thu)
Ex-Girlfriend and Daughter Arrive in New York City...
Before moving to Manhattan, Ledger lived with then-girlfriend Michelle Williams in a four-story, sage-green Brooklyn brownstone with a black wrought-iron fence. Ledger was a frequent guest at the Brawta Caribbean Cafe two blocks from the house, owner Jennifer Ewers said.
``He was a perfect gentleman. He comes in here with his hoodie on, reads a book, and gives you a peace sign,'' she said. ``He was always with his daughter, playing hide-and-seek among the plants, or on his skateboard, peeking his head in.''
Ledger split last year with Williams, who played his wife in ``Brokeback Mountain.'' The two had a daughter, the now 2-year-old Matilda.
Williams and Matilda returned to their Brooklyn home Wednesday evening from Trollhattan, Sweden. The 27-year-old actress had been there shooting scenes for the upcoming film ``Mammoth,'' said Martin Stromberg, a spokesman for film production company Memfis Film.
Stromberg said Williams had gotten the news of Ledger's death at her hotel late Tuesday night.
UPDATE (6:45p) TIMELINE OF LEDGER'S FINAL MOMENTS:
Police provided an in-depth timeline Wednesday of Heath Ledger's final moments, revealing the chaos that filled his Manhattan apartment after he died.
LISTEN: The End of Heath Ledger's Life 
It included a frantic call to former ``Full House'' star Mary-Kate Olsen, a masseuse desperately trying to awake the actor, and a maid who was in Ledger's bedroom in the moments before he died.
Police said that Ledger probably died sometime between 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday of what authorities say could be
an accidental drug overdose.
Authorities found six different types of prescription drugs in Ledger's apartment, including pills to treat insomnia and anxiety, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. Three of the drugs were prescribed in Europe.
Ledger's housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, arrived at his apartment with her own key and let herself in. At 1 p.m., she went to his bedroom to change a light bulb, and saw Ledger sleeping and heard him snoring. She left the room without thinking anything was wrong.
At 2:45 p.m., a masseuse named Diana Wolozin showed up for her massage appointment with Ledger, who didn't answer when she knocked on his door.
She then tried to call him on his cell phone, but again got no response. She went into the bedroom, set up her massage table and again tried to wake Ledger.
Wolozin told police that Ledger was cold to the touch, but she just assumed he was unconscious. She proceeded to grab his cell phone and call Mary Kate Olsen, whose number is programmed into the phone. Wolozin knew that Olsen and Ledger were friends, and she asked Olsen for advice on what she should do next.
Olsen, who also lives in Manhattan but was in California at the time, responded by saying she would send over her private security guards to help deal with the situation. In the ensuing moments, Wolozin realized that Ledger might be dead, and called 911.
The emergency operator provided Wolozin directions on how to do CPR, but it was too late.
Paramedics arrived minutes later, at about the same time as Olsen's security guards.
Numerous messages left at telephone numbers listed to Wolozin and Solomon were not returned.
UPDATE (6:30p) Tests on a rolled-up $20 bill found near Heath Ledger's bed detected no drug residue, the NYPD said Wednesday.
Discovery of the bill had raised the prospect that Ledger might have been snorting drugs, but the negative test diminished that possibility. A preliminary autopsy on Ledger's body Wednesday was inconclusive.
Authorities found six different types of prescription drugs in Ledger's apartment, including pills to treat insomnia and anxiety and an antihistamine, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. Three of the drugs were prescribed in Europe. A rolled-up $20 bill was found near Heath Ledger's body, though no illegal drugs were found in his apartment. An autopsy on the ``Brokeback Mountain'' actor came back inconclusive.
Authorities found six different prescription drugs in Ledger's apartment, including sleeping and anti-anxiety pills and some sort of antihistamine. Three of the drugs were prescribed in Europe.
The $20 bill was to be taken to a lab for testing, though no visible drug residue was found.
The 28-year-old Australian-born actor was found dead yesterday. Police said it appears Ledger's death was caused by an accidental prescription drug overdose.
A spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, said the autopsy on the 28-year-old actor was inconclusive and that more would be known after more thorough tests are completed.
Fans left flowers and candles outside his Broome Street apartment today.
(UPDATE) The medical examiner's office says an autopsy on actor Heath Ledger was inconclusive, and more tests are 
needed.
A spokeswoman for the office, Ellen Borakove, said Wednesday that it will take about 10 days to complete the investigation.
Authorities have said the death of the 28-year-old actor was caused by a possible drug overdose.
Fans left flowers and candles Wednesday outside the apartment building in Manhattan's SoHo where the body of the Oscar-nominated star of ``Brokeback Mountain'' was found with sleeping pills nearby.
LISTEN: SoHo Neighbors React
LISTEN: The Life of Heath Ledger
Family Says Death Was Accidental...
SYDNEY, Australia - Heath Ledger's family rejected any suggestion Wednesday that the actor killed himself and joined fellow Australians in mourning one of their rising stars after he was found dead in a New York apartment.
The Australian-born actor was found face-down and naked at the foot of a bed in a Manhattan apartment Tuesday. Police said there were prescription sleeping pills near Ledger's body, but that there was no obvious sign he had committed suicide.
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Members of Ledger's family faced a throng of journalists in the actor's hometown of Perth in western Australia and read a prepared statement saying his death was purely accidental, though they did not say whether he died of an overdose.
``We, Heath's family can confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda,'' Ledger's father Kim told reporters. ``He was found peacefully asleep in his New York apartment by his housekeeper at 3:30 p.m. U.S. time.''
Kim Ledger remembered his 28-year-old son as a ``down to earth, generous, kindhearted, life-loving, unselfish individual'' who was ``extremely inspirational'' to those who knew him.
``Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life that few had the pleasure of truly knowing him,'' Kim Ledger said. ``Please now respect our family's need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately.''
Meanwhile, tributes from fellow Australians flooded in, with actress Nicole Kidman calling Ledger's death a ``terrible tragedy.''
``My heart goes out to Heath's family,'' she said through her Australia-based publicist, Wendy Day.
Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd expressed shock at losing ``one of our nation's finest actors in the prime of his life,''
``Heath Ledger's diverse and challenging roles will be remembered as some of the great performances by an Australian actor,'' Rudd said in a statement.
Heath received an Oscar nomination for his role as a troubled gay cowboy in the 2006 film, ``Brokeback Mountain,'' where he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the film. The two had a daughter, now 2-year-old Matilda, and lived together in Brooklyn until they split up last year.
Neil Armfield, who directed Ledger in his last Australian film, ``Candy,'' said the actor had ``handled his career incredibly well,'' steering himself toward more challenging roles.
``He made a decision about four years ago to stop being led by producers and managers and to forge his own way,'' Armfield told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio ``He started working with the most interesting directors. He was so successful at breaking out of the teen idol image.''
Actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Manhattan apartment, where his naked body was discovered face-down at the foot of his bed with a bottle of prescription sleeping pills nearby, police said. He was 28.
PHOTOS: Heath Ledger Photo Gallery 
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the SoHo apartment that is believed to be the ``Brokeback Mountain'' actor's home. The massage therapist and a housekeeper went to his bedroom to get Ledger, and found his naked body in the bed at about 3:30 p.m. They tried to revive him, but he was already dead, police said.
LISTEN: Entertainment Tonight's Leonard Maltin on Ledger's career
Browne said there was no obvious indication of suicide. Authorities were awaiting the results of an autopsy, which was scheduled for Wednesday.
At this time, it appears that earlier rumors that the apartment belonged to Mary Kate-Olsen were false. TMZ reports that the massage therapist called the bodyguard for the Olsens because the two are friends, and he is an EMT. The bodyguard was around the block at Ashley Olsen's apartment, and he immediately responded to the scene. By the time he arrived, the police were already on the scene.
TIMELINE: Heath Ledger's Career
A gaggle of paparazzi and gawkers began gathering outside the building, where police put up barricades to control a crowd of about 300 people. Onlookers craned their necks as officers brought out a black body bag on a gurney, took it across the sidewalk and put it into a white medical examiner's office van.
LISTEN: NY Times' A.O. Scott on Ledger's film choices.
As the building door opened, the bystanders snapped pictures with their camera phones and rolled their video. ``He's coming out!'' some said.
While not a marquee movie star, Ledger was a respected, award-winning actor who chose his roles carefully rather than cashing in on his heartthrob looks. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in ``Brokeback Mountain,'' where he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the 2005 film. The two had a daughter, now 2-year-old Matilda, and lived together until they split up last year.
VIDEO: Actor Heath Ledger dies 
The death was a shocking and unforeseen conclusion for one of Hollywood's bright young stars. Though his leading man looks propelled him to early stardom in films like ``10 Things I Hate About You'' and ``A Knight's Tale,'' his career took a notable turn toward dramatic and brooding roles with 2001's ``Monster's Ball.''
``I had such great hope for him,'' said Mel Gibson, who played Ledger's vengeful father in ``The Patriot,'' in a statement from the actor's publicist. ``He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.''
Ledger eschewed Hollywood glitz in favor of a bohemian life in Brooklyn, where he was one of the borough's most famous residents before moving to Manhattan. ``Brokeback'' would be his breakthrough role, establishing him as one of his generation's finest talents and an actor willing to take risks.
In the Australian city of Perth, where the actor was born and raised, his father called the actor's death ``tragic, untimely and accidental.''
``He was down to earth, generous, kind hearted, life loving unselfish individual extremely inspirational to many,'' Kim Ledger said, reading from a prepared statement. ``Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life.''
The actor's publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said in a statement Tuesday night: ``We are asking the media to please respect the family's privacy and avoid speculation until the facts are known.''
Ledger began to gravitate more toward independent fare. His 2006 film ``Candy'' now seems destined to have an especially haunting quality: In a particularly realistic performance, Ledger played a poet wrestling with a heroin addiction along with his girlfriend, played by Abbie Cornish.
But Ledger's most recent choices were arguably the boldest yet: He costarred in ``I'm Not There,'' in which he played one of the many incarnations of Bob Dylan as did Cate Blanchett, whose performance earned an Oscar nomination Tuesday for best supporting actress.
Ledger told The New York Times in November that he ``stressed out a little too much'' during the Dylan film, and had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker, whom he called a ``psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy.''
``Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,'' Ledger said. ``I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.'' He said he took two Ambien pills, which only worked for an hour, the paper said.
In what may be his final finished performance, Ledger proved that he wouldn't be intimidated by taking on a character as iconic as Jack Nicholson's Joker, playing the comic-book villain in a sequel to ``Batman Begins.''
Ledger's version of the villain in ``Dark Knight, glimpsed in early teaser trailers, made it clear that his Joker would be less comical and more depraved and dark. ``Dark Knight'' director Christopher Nolan said earlier this month that Ledger's performance as the Joker would be wildly different than Jack Nicholson's memorable turn in 1989's ``Batman.''
``It was a very great challenge for Heath,'' Nolan said. ``He's extremely original, extremely frightening, tremendously edgy. A very young character, a very anarchic presence that taps into a lot of our basic fears and panic.''
Ledger was a widely recognized figure in his Manhattan neighborhood, where he used to shop at a home and children's store. Michelle Vella said she had frequently seen Ledger with his daughter carrying the 2-year-old on his shoulders, or having ice cream with her.
``It's so sad. They were really close,'' said Vella. ``He's a very down-to-earth guy and an amazing father.''
She said Ledger once bought a bookcase at the home store, and purchased stuffed animals and dresses for his daughter at the children's store. Other locals said Ledger frequented many restaurants in the neighborhood and noticed no signs of trouble with the actor.
``It's a shock; he's so young,'' said Taren Dolbashian, who works on the block and also had seen Ledger with his daughter on his shoulders. ``He always seems so happy.''
Before settling down with Williams, Ledger had relationships with actresses Heather Graham and Naomi Watts. He met Watts while working on ``The Lords of Dogtown,'' a fictionalized version of a cult classic skateboarding documentary, in 2004.
Ledger was born in 1979 in Perth, in western Australia, to a mining engineer and a French teacher, and got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 at a local theater company. He began acting in independent films as a 16-year-old in Sydney and played a cyclist hoping to land a spot on an Olympic team in a 1996 television show, ``Seat.''
After several independent films, Ledger moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and co-starred opposite Julia Stiles in ``10 Things I Hate About You,'' a teen comedy reworking of ``The Taming of the Shrew.''
Offers for other teen flicks soon came his way, but Ledger turned them down, preferring to remain idle than sign on for projects he didn't like.
``It wasn't a hard decision for me,'' Ledger told The Associated Press in 2001. ``It was hard for everyone else around me to understand. Agents were like, `You're crazy,' my parents were like,
'Come on, you have to eat.'''
UPDATE (6:15p)
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