Heath Ledger had pneumonia and was on sleeping pills

THE family of West Australian movie star Heath Ledger have spoken of their grief over his death this morning, which they say was accidental, and asked for privacy in which to mourn.

Ledger's father Kim Ledger, mother Sally Ledger-Bell and sister Katie Ledger appeared outside Ledger's mother's house in Applecross at 10.50am, when Mr Ledger read a short statement to the media.

"We, Heath's family, confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda, who was found in a peaceful sleep in his New York apartment by his housekeeper at 3.30pm (New York Time)," he said.

"We would like to thank our friends and everyone around the world for their kind wishes at this time.

"Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life, but few had the pleasure to truly know him.

"He was a down-to-earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving and unselfish individual who was an extreme inspiration to many.

"Please now respect our family's need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately.''

Earlier members of Ledger's family denied he killed himself - insisting his death was accidental despite his naked and unconscious body being found surrounded by sleeping pills.

As the 28-year-old's body was removed from a New York apartment, representatives of the family said police had advised them his death was entirely accidental.

They added he was not that kind of person.

Ledger reportedly had pneumonia when he died and had been taking sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication.

Ledger started taking the pills after completing I'm Not There, in which he played one of the many incarnations of singer Bob Dylan.

He said late last year he "stressed out a little too much" during the Dylan film and had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker in the newest Batman flick The Dark Knight.

He called the character a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy".

"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 Perth-born former Oscar nominee was discovered naked and unconscious by his masseuse and housekeeper when they could not stir him from his bedroom. Sleeping pills were strewn around the bed and there was a bottle next to the his body.

As Ledger's body was removed from the New York apartment in which he was found, a huge crowd of news photographers gathered outside the apartment in the Soho building lit up the scene with flashes as authorities wheeled his body on a trolley from the complex into the van.

Ledger was found dead in his bed in his apartment in the trendy Manhattan area of SoHo by his housekeeper at 5.35am Perth time.

Law enforcement sources told celebrity website TMZ.com they did not believe it was a crime, saying prescription pills were found strewn near his body.

New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said: "We are investigating the possibility of an overdose."

"There were pills within the vicinity of the bed," Mr Browne said.

The Perth-born actor had a two-year-old daughter, Matilda, with former fiancee Michelle Williams, who played his wife in Brokeback Mountain.

They separated in September, 2007.

The New York Times reported that a masseuse arrived at his apartment and was let in the door by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of Ledger's bedroom.

When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom door and found Ledger unconscious.

They attempted to wake him, and when they couldn't they called 911.

When paramedics responded, the actor was in full cardiac arrest. They attempted to perform CPR on him, but were unsuccessful.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ledger plays the Joker in the upcoming Batman film The Dark Knight.

Ledger is best known for his groundbreaking role as Ennis in Brokeback Mountain.

He played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in Monster's Ball and had starring roles in A Knight's Tale and The Patriot.

Ledger grew up in Perth and began doing amateur theater at age 10.

At 16, he moved to Sydney to pursue an acting career, quickly landing TV movie roles and guest spots on Australian television.

After several independent films and a starring role in the short-lived Fox TV series Roar, Ledger moved to Los Angeles and co-starred in 10 Things I Hate About You, a teen comedy reworking of The Taming of the Shrew.

Offers for other teen films came his way, but Ledger turned them down, preferring to remain idle than sign on for projects he did not 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'."

His latest role was in I'm Not There, in which he played one of the many incarnations of singer Bob Dylan - as did Cate Blanchett, whose performance in that film earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23095476-948,00.html