We Bid You Adieu, Heath

I would like to share with you a very fond memory. One time after a long day at work, I got a ridiculous nicotine craving and decided to go outside for a breath of fresh air and a cigarette. I was in my pajamas but I thought, "Who am I going to see?" So I began my walk down the five flights of stairs to the street outside my apartment.

I lit a cigarette, took a deep breath, then made a call to my friend Miranda to entertain me for the next few minutes. I stood in front of Bar Pitti, a restaurant below my apartment, to see if I might catch a glimpse of a celeb. I scoped the crowd while I pretended to listen to my friend as she told me the joys of teaching kindergardners, or as I like to call them "Satan's Little Snotty Elves." I happened to notice a man with his back to me. I recognize that ponytail, I thought to myself. Then I suddenly gasped, "Oh my goh, Miranda - THAT'S HEATH LEDGER!!!" I moved to where I could get a good look at that gorgeous face. He was just casually dining with a friend (no sign of Michelle or Matilda). He caught me staring at him and I immediately jerked my head the other way. I then proceeded to fake laugh extremely loudly at everything my friend said just so Heath would glance my way. We stole a few more looks at each other - mine looks of love, his looks of fear at the girl in her pajamas smoking a cigarette and scarily glaring at him while laughing like a madwoman. Finally, I decided to leave him be and huffed and puffed all the way up the stairs just like a giddy schoolgirl.

So after that story, you can imagine my shock when I was informed of Heath's death yesterday. I was also shocked that he was friends with Mary-Kate Olsen, but that's another issue. Varying details are everywhere, all over the internet, newspapers, etc. Must they mention that he stared in A Knight's Tale? I mean, way to kick a man when he's down. That's a horrendous film. Can't they remember him for his more important works, like Lords of Dogtown? Oh yeah, I saw that in the theater. And multiple times since.

Heath's SoHo apartment is only ten blocks from mine and I've yet to venture to that area, but I'm sure it's a mad house. Some of you may think this is morbid, but below are some pictures that WireImage posted of the cops taking him from his house and his apartment building. Maybe that's terrible of me, I don't know, so sorry if you are offended. Also below, an article with a time line of the events before the cops arrived at his house. There have been a lot of rumors swirling around about what went on yesterday, but this New York Times article seems pretty accurate.

The masseuse who discovered the body of Heath Ledger in a Manhattan apartment on Tuesday twice called a friend of his, the actress Mary-Kate Olsen, before calling 911, New York City police officials said on Wednesday. The officials, who provided new details about Mr. Ledger’s death, emphasized that no illegal drugs were found in the apartment and that there were no obvious signs of suicide. Tests on a rolled-up $20 bill that was found in the apartment found no evidence that the bill had been used to handle drugs, they said.

According to the police, around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, a housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, arrived at the apartment, at 421 Broome Street in SoHo, to do household chores. At about 1 p.m., she went into Mr. Ledger’s bedroom to change a light bulb in an adjacent bathroom; she found him on the bed face down, with the sheet pulled up to his shoulders, and heard him snoring.

A masseuse, Diana Wolozin, arrived to give Mr. Ledger a massage about 2:45 p.m. At 3 p.m., after Mr. Ledger did not emerge from his bedroom, with the door closed, the masseuse called him on his cellphone but got no answer. She entered the bedroom and saw him lying in bed. She took a massage table out of the closet and began to set it up near his bed. She then went over to him and shook him, but got no response. Using his cellphone, she used a speed-dial button to call Ms. Olsen in California to seek her guidance, knowing Ms. Olsen to be a friend of Mr. Ledger’s.

According to the authorities, Ms. Wolozin told Ms. Olsen that Mr. Ledger was unconscious. Ms. Olsen said she would call some private security people she knew in New York, and hung up. Ms. Wolozin again shook Mr. Ledger, called Ms. Olsen a second time, and said she believed the situation was grave and would call 911.

Ms. Wolozin called 911 at 3:26 p.m. to say that Mr. Ledger was not breathing. The call occurred less than 15 minutes since she had first seen him in bed and only a few moments after the first call to Ms. Olsen. The 911 operator urged Ms. Wolozin to try to revive Mr. Ledger, but Ms. Wolozin’s efforts were not successful.

Emergency medical workers arrived at 3:33 p.m., at almost exactly the same moment as a private security guard summoned by Ms. Olsen. The medical workers moved his body to the floor and then used a defibrillator and CPR, to no avail. Mr. Ledger was pronounced dead at 3:36 p.m. By that point, two other private security guards summoned by Ms. Olsen had arrived, as had police officers.

The police said that all five witnesses — Ms. Solomon, the housekeeper; Ms. Wolozin, the masseuse; and the three private security guards summoned by Ms. Olsen — were fully cooperating with the authorities.

The police conducted tests on a rolled-up $20 bill found in Mr. Ledger’s apartment, but found no evidence that the bill had been used for anything improper. No illegal narcotics or alcohol was found in the apartment. Prescription sleeping pills were found near the body, but it is not known if the medication played a role in his death.

The police said they were looking to examine any surveillance videos from the apartment building and the surrounding area but were also awaiting the results of an investigation by the New York City chief medical examiner. The office conducted an autopsy early Wednesday morning but said that the results were inconclusive and that additional testing was needed.

The death of Mr. Ledger, 28, the Australian-born actor whose breakthrough role as a gay cowboy in the 2005 movie “Brokeback Mountain” earned him a nomination for an Academy Award, has attracted international attention.






Article: New York Times
Photos: WireImage