Heath Ledger - News Accounts

[Kelda]

Again, sorry if this is a duplicate posted link, but there's a commentary in New York Magazine that's a must-read for both Brokies and Heath fans generally.

The part about how Heath has been portrayed in news accounts in the form of brief glimpses that showed only one part of his life and character is a kind of eerie coda to the discussions about the "snapshot" approach in much of BBM.

wow marge, that was a good article

[SunShadow]

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20181179,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines

Report: Doctors Cleared in Ledger Investigation
By Nicole Weisensee Egan

Originally posted Friday February 29, 2008 09:30 AM EST

Federal investigators have cleared two doctors in California and Texas of any wrongdoing in the death of actor Heath Ledger.

The Drug Enforcement Agency interviewed the doctors earlier this week about prescriptions found in Ledger’s apartment and determined they did not prescribe him the two most powerful drugs – Oxycontin and Vicodin, the New York Post reports. The doctors did meet with Ledger but prescribed him other medications, according to investigators.

Ledger, 28, died on Jan. 22 in his Manhattan apartment from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. Soon after the medical examiner released his cause of death, the DEA issued subpoenas to try to determine if there were medical conditions attached to all the drugs found in his apartment. That investigation is still ongoing.

Besides Oxycodone and Vicodin (also known as Hydrocodone), autopsy results also showed that Ledger's system contained Diazepam (commonly called Valium), as well as Temazepam, which treats anxiety or sleeplessness; Alprazolam (also known as Xanax); and Doxylamine, a sedating antihistamine often used as a sleeping aid.

Michelle Williams – Ledger's former girlfriend and mother of his 2-year-old daughter, Matilda – joined Ledger's family and hundreds of mourners Feb. 9 at a memorial in Australia for the actor. On Jan. 26, a private memorial in Los Angeles was held for close friends and family.

[Fran]

Ledger's Kombi stolen in Sydney: report
Friday Feb 29 23:34 AEDT
A Kombi van owned by the late Australian actor Heath Ledger, which he left for safekeeping with a Sydney-based mate, has been stolen.

The green-coloured 1975 model Volkswagen van was reportedly stolen from outside a Bondi home about the time of the actor's death last month.

Heath's van was older than he was.

[SunShadow]

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20181200,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines


Feds Focus on Heath's Vicodin, Oxycontin Supplier

By Nicole Weisensee Egan

Originally posted Friday February 29, 2008 03:05 PM EST
Heath Ledger
 
Federal agents still don't know how actor Heath Ledger obtained the powerful painkillers Oxycontin and Vicodin, a source tells PEOPLE.

No bottles for those drugs were found in Ledger's apartment, though bottles were located for the other prescriptions such as sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs found in his system, the source said.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents returned Thursday from interviews with two doctors – one in Houston and one in Los Angeles – who met with Ledger and prescribed drugs other than the painkillers, according to the source.

"We're still trying to find out who gave him the Oxycontin and Vicodin," the source said, adding that Ledger did not appear to have any medical condition that would have required those two drugs. "We'll search databases to see if we can find out and also credit cards records and so forth. Either someone gave it to him or he bought it himself or he got it online."

The agents will continue to try to find physicians who may have prescribed the drugs, which is always the first step in such investigations, the source said. After all the physicians have been interviewed, agents then move on to interviewing other people who could have given him the drugs, which contributed to his death.

Soon after the cause of his death was determined, the DEA launched an investigation into whether there were legitimate medical conditions attached to the all the drugs found in his apartment and in his system.

While relatively small amounts of Oxycontin and Vicodin were found, the source said, "Just the mix itself with the other drugs is enough to kill you."

What's puzzling, though, the source says, is that it appears Ledger had kicked his habit and "everyone spoke so highly of him," so it's not clear why he would have been using the powerful painkillers.

The source adds that the investigation could take another month.

[loneleeb3]

Quote from: Katie77 on Today at 09:25:50 AM
Ledger's Kombi stolen in Sydney: report
Friday Feb 29 23:34 AEDT
A Kombi van owned by the late Australian actor Heath Ledger, which he left for safekeeping with a Sydney-based mate, has been stolen.

The green-coloured 1975 model Volkswagen van was reportedly stolen from outside a Bondi home about the time of the actor's death last month.


Heath's van was older than he was.

Ya gotta love him!
All the money in the world and he still hung on to that old VW van.

[Artiste]

Wonder, any of you, if those drugs were maybe forced upon Heath?

Yes, forced?

Hugs!

[optom3]

wow marge, that was a good article

Double wow!!!! That is the most cohesive and inciteful piece of journalism I have read,re the whole tragedy.It was neither sensational or overtly emotional.By being neither it managed to be one of the saddest pieces I have read.
It really just said,he was a good guy,an extemely talented actor.who was much like most of us.neither sinner or saint.
Except like most of us(well me anyway) he had an enormous talent,and with that came pressures which most of us cannot imagine.I struggle enough with day to day life,let alone life through a lens.
I guess he just wanted to be "normal" which was never going to be following the massive impact of BBM.You can't blame the guy for trying though.
Thanks again for posting the link to the article.

[Ellemeno]

Double wow!!!! That is the most cohesive and inciteful piece of journalism I have read,re the whole tragedy.It was neither sensational or overtly emotional.By being neither it managed to be one of the saddest pieces I have read.

What you said. 

[Marge_Innavera]

Double wow!!!! That is the most cohesive and inciteful piece of journalism I have read,re the whole tragedy.It was neither sensational or overtly emotional.By being neither it managed to be one of the saddest pieces I have read.
It really just said,he was a good guy,an extemely talented actor.who was much like most of us.neither sinner or saint.
Except like most of us(well me anyway) he had an enormous talent,and with that came pressures which most of us cannot imagine.I struggle enough with day to day life,let alone life through a lens.
I guess he just wanted to be "normal" which was never going to be following the massive impact of BBM.You can't blame the guy for trying though.

(The above quote referred to the New York Magazine article this week.)

What I thought was the best insight, though a very bitter one, was the author's remark that if Heath had started "acting like an a**hole", showing up for a day's work at a movie shoot obviously under the influence, etc. he might still be alive because people who knew him well might have figured that something was wrong and done some kind of intervention.

Of course, we'll never know that for sure but when I read that, I just had a gut feeling that the author had touched on one of the most important aspects of this tragedy. And it's true -- it's the people who, through insecurity, strength of character, or some of both, who struggle along in "quiet desperation" without showing any outward signs who so often fall through the cracks.

That article also made it crystal-clear, without ranting much about it, how inane the sensationalism was.

[optom3]

Wonder, any of you, if those drugs were maybe forced upon Heath?

Yes, forced?

Hugs!

Guess we will never know.

What I do know is that it is very easy to take ,accidentally too many Rx. meds.As I am having a rough time at the moment,I am on several meds.All prescribed by same phsician,sleeping tabs,anti depressants,pain killers.

Since the death of Heath I have started keeing a note of what I took and when.

It is so easy when you cant sleep,are depressed,manic and in pain,just to think oh,Ill  just take a couple more.Anything to get rid of the pain,mental and physical,get some sleep.So I am much more careful than I used to be.

It at least acted as a bit of a wake up call to me.to be less cavalier about my meds.Now when it gets real bad I offload here at Better Most !!!!!!!!!