January 24, 2008
Heath Ledger Death Update: Masseuse's Pre-911 Calls to Mary-Kate ; No Narcotics Found; Michelle Williams Returns
Some more details surrounding Heath Ledger's death have emerged, even though the autopsy is inconclusive for the actor's cause of death. Though CBS 2 initially reported that a rolled up $20 bill in Ledger's SoHo apartment had narcotic residue on it and that cops had found unidentified drug packets, the NYPD now confirms that lab tests found nothing to indicate the bill had been used to snort drugs and that no illegal drugs were found in the apartment. There were six types of prescription drugs in the room, including pills to treat insomnia and anxiety.
Here’s the official timeline:
- Police believe Ledger probably died between 1pm and 2:45pm on Tuesday.Police say Wolozin is cooperating with the investigation, but she could be in deep trouble anyway: According to the NY Times, no Diana Wolozin is listed in the state database of licensed massage therapists and it is a felony to practice massage without a license in New York (massage therapists have to complete many hours of training and classes before being license).
- At 1pm the housekeeper went into his bedroom to change a light bulb and heard him snoring.
- At 2:45pm a massage therapist, Diana Wolozin, showed up for Ledger's appointment.
- After waiting and getting no response from his cell phone, she entered his room at 3pm.
- Wolozin initially assumed Ledger was asleep and set up her massage table, only realizing he was unconscious when she tried to wake him up.
- But before calling 911, she decided to seek advice from former child star Mary-Kate Olsen, whose number was programmed into Ledger's cell phone.
- Olsen said she’d send her bodyguard to assess and the call ended.
- But Wolozin soon discovered Ledger’s body was stone cold.
- So she called Olsen again (because, you know, who better to deal with a crisis?) to say she would call 911
- After that chat, the paramedics were finally summoned at 3:26pm.
The picture police - and Ledger's family - are offering significantly differs from initial speculation about a suicide or narcotic overdose. People magazine paints a portrait of Ledger as a hyper, sleep-deprived actor whose immersion in his roles kept his mind racing through the night. A dog walker in Washington Square Park says he grew friendly with Ledger after frequently spotting him strolling in the park in the early morning.
Ledger’s death is now looking more like an accidental overdose by an insomniac trying to self-medicate himself into sleep. The toxicology report will be released in a week or two, and many point to recent interviews or conversations where Ledger mentioned sleeping very little or having difficulties sleeping.
Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, director of the 2002 movie Four Feathers that starred Ledger, had plans to meet with Ledger on Monday morning and spoke with him night before his death: "He made me promise that I would call him in the morning and wake him up. I tried. Little did I know that his soul had already left his body."
Fellow Batman Joker Jack Nicholson says he warned deceased actor Heath Ledger about using Ambien: “I warned him. I took Ambien once. I fell asleep and then got a call and almost drove off a cliff 50 yards from my house.” The experience would not be uncharacteristic for Nicholson or Ambien users; the drug is infamous for side-effects like sleepwalking and driving.
Michelle Williams arrived back in New York yesterday with the couple’s two-year-old daughter; she proceeded directly to the Brooklyn townhouse (pictured) she shared with Ledger before their split last September. A celebrity memorial for Ledger is rumored to be taking place this weekend in Los Angeles, with the remains to be buried in Perth, Australia.
And the parishioners at Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas have vowed to embody Christ's message of tolerance by protesting at the "pervert's" funeral because "God hates fags and the sordid, tacky bucket of slime seasoned with vomit known as Brokeback Mountain."
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OMG, how will I survive without any future Heath Ledger movies?
What a life. Still sleeping at 1:00 PM with a 3:00 PM appointment for an in-home massage.
I always call Mary-Kate whenever I stumble upon a corpse. Being that she is a corpse herself, she would know exactly what to do.
Ledger was never married to Williams, so he was neither "recently divorced" nor had an "ex-wife".
OMG ENOUGH ALREADY.
celebrity news is the biggest waste of time. ever. period. there is nothing more useless than celebrity news.
it was tragic that he died so young. done. end. no more. no one should have anything else to say about it than that, besides his family and friends.
ugh.
its obvious she should have called Tom Cruise!
he is the authority! you know the only one who can really help!
"And the parishioners at Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas have vowed to embody Christ's message of tolerance by protesting at the "pervert's" funeral because "God hates fags and the sordid, tacky bucket of slime seasoned with vomit known as Brokeback Mountain."
..vowed to embody Christ's mission of tolerance.. LOL.
Clearly he should have called a Pulp Fiction era Harvey Keitel. Or a 9th level cleric.
"there is nothing more useless than celebrity news."
Except for bitching about how useless celebrity news is..
stfu
The Westboro Baptist "Church" also protests at the funerals of dead soldiers. They are the most disgusting people.
HEATH LEDGER DEATH UPDATE:
He's still dead!
um, the masseuse totally handled the situation poorly. even if ledger was dead, or she thought he was dead, why the hell would Troll Olsen be the first in the line of contact? She was in California, for fuck's sake! Bah! utter nonsense.
While the tragedy of any human life is horrible—the media will continue to exploit Heath Ledger, his family and his friends, and they will sadly do it with a total lack of respect, per default.
- - -
Meanwhile in Iraq an 18 year-old soldier was killed by a roadside bomb.
wow, just goes to show you the RICH are different that you or I. They wait 26 mins before calling for REAL help.
it's about damn time!
i was starting to freak out without my daily heath ledger death update.
thanks gothamist (and every other f'ing media outlet)!!!
Instead of calling 911 ASAP Wolozin calls Mary-Kate Olsen for help!?
If Wolozin called 911 the second she knew he was unconscious could the paramedics maybe have enough time to get the heart going again?
Update: Yep, He's Still Dead.
Wonder when the Newspaper will move on??
If she was a professional massage therapist she would have been trained in CPR. I don't think it would have changed the situation but it would have made her much more prepared instead of calling an Olsen twin.
I love each and every one of these Ledger posts.
C'mon, guys... why so serious?
Ah...gothamist commentators, so arch and so urbane. And douchey. Not all, but the five or six trolls who've been regularly posting crap the last couple of months.
The people who are up in arms about gothamist covering Ledger too much are the same ppl. who read a Gothamist post on the Iowa caucuses and say "What does this have to do with New York?!" in the same snide tone that they're using here.
Well, this is a NY story. A guy, 28 years old, Oscar nominee, world famous dies in his sleep. IN NY. Like it or not, it IS a NY story. Yes, the media is oversaturating us with this story. yes, I would rather they just wait until the whole thing is over and give a recap instead of covering a new "angle" every time something new comes up (how many times has that $20 bill been tested-with differing results). But, if you don't want to read about it-DON'T. What could be dumber than compulsively checking news sites to see coverage on a story so that you can complain of oversaturation?
I usually check Gothamist two or three times a day. Just for a quick re-cap of local stories and (usually) some enlightened debate.
Unfortunately, there are new stadiums, mayorla elections, nightclub murders, manhole explosions or notable concerts every day. There's gonna be some news you're not interested in. Just SKIP it and save us your oh so witty comments about how 'above it" you are.
I suspect foul play, and it involves the masseuse. It just doesn't make sense that she had a key to let herself in, let herself into his bedroom before waking him up, and then sees he's "asleep" -- in the nude?
Everyone should learn CPR, unfortunately it was too late for me. I did, however, call 911 first and that helped. Minutes count when it comes to cardiac arrest.
I think I'll go surfing for some ebony porn tonight. I think Heath would have liked it that way.
That must be the only $20 bill that does not have drug residue.
Heath like's chocolate?
Heath Ledger: this generation's James Dean or this week's Brad Renfro?
Foul play? Suicide? God only knows, check this out:
http://www.scoan.com/highlight_se2.htm
MFIB...
why dont you just go put a fresh bunch of flowers in front of that Soho loft where Heath croaked. the other batch is already wilted.
You should look for Diana Wolozin's profile (the massage therapist) on MassageAnywhere.com