The World Mourns The Joker - Today in History (Heath Ledger)

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Today, 10 years ago, a 28-year-old Heath Ledger died of accidental prescription drug overdose. The life of a young talented actor was tragedically cut short, the corpse of the Academy Award-nominee was found by his housekeeper and masseuse on the floor of his apartment, located in New York City, SoHo neighbourhood.

Few months before his demise, the actor opened up about the episodes of insomnia because his mind was constantly thinking. He had just completed The Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There and his infamous role as a younger version of The Joker for The Dark Knight. He admitted to being on medication for insomnia with sedatives like Ambien.

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A former Australian child actor who first got the attention of the American audience in the 1999 teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You. He got his big break when featured as Mel Gibson's son in the Revolutionary War Drama The Patriot

Despite starring in two other movies Monster's Ball, The Knight's Tale and The Four Feathers it was Broke Back Mountain that cemented his status as a star, and an A-list actor where he was featured in celebrity magazines. His relationship with Actress Michelle Williams was intensified as a result of his role in Broke Back Mountain, together they had a daughter, Matilda who was born in October 2005. The family were often seen as happy, however in September 2007, the couple announced they were separating, and Heath Ledger moved out from the family house in Brooklyn to a rented apartment in SoHo.

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Despite facing difficulties in his personal life, he flourished professionally as he enjoyed successes months before his untimely death. Towards the end of 2007, he was filming in London Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. He had just finished working on Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, which at the time was the latest version of the movie. He played the role of The Joker, he admitted to being on medication for insomnia with sedatives like Ambien due to difficulties he faced while playing The Joker.

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After his death, the media speculation erupted with claims of the actor's illegal drug abuse. On February 8, toxicology test results released by Ney York City Medical Examiner's Office stated that he died of an accidental "abuse of prescription medications" which included anti-anxiety drugs, painkillers, and sleeping pills. A memorial service was held in Los Angeles and New York in his honour, afterwards, his family took his body back to his native Australia; in his hometown of Perth, where he is buried next to his grandparents.

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