More Details On Heath Ledger's Death
After jumping to painful conclusions about "Brokeback Mountain" star Heath Ledger's untimely death, I'd wanted to step back and wait to see what the media had to say in the days following his passing.
Unfortunately, part of the job of writing about celebs is keeping current, and we have further damaging details beginning to emerge.
While the NYC coroner announced his autopsy findings this morning were inconclusive, stating we'd have to wait for toxicology reports for more detailed information about what caused Heath's death, there are new reports stating "packets of drugs" were found in Heath's apartment, and police are testing a $20 dollar bill which was rolled "suspiciously" and had powder residue.
More and more, this story is starting to sound like an accidental overdose, perhaps with Heath combining prescription meds, OTC meds and now, possibly illicit drugs in his system to create a deadly and toxic combination. We also learned last night, Heath was battling pneumonia at the time of his death, which may have also compromised his immune system.
Coincidentally, we are coming up on the one-year anniversary of Anna Nicole Smith death. If you recall, Anna also died of a deadly combination of prescription drugs which were mixed with over-the-counter medication she was taking to battle cold and flu symptoms.
The one striking lesson emphasized over and over in the wake of Anna's death was how dangerous it is to mix medications without the advice of a doctor. Even Casey Calvert, the guitarist from Hawthorne Heights, ended up being ruled an accidental overdose after he too mixed a lethal combination of medicines in his vulnerable system.
Heath may have been suffering from depression, stress and anxiety (anti-anxiety meds were found in his apartment) but based on the scene when Heath was found, it is unlikely he was TRYING to take his own life.
That's little comfort to those who are mourning him today.
