Insane. Damn.

Holy shit. CNN.com is reporting it, too.

WTF?!

no other on-line confirmation - but his website is down.

Goddamn it.

Well this is just about the stupidest, saddest thing I've heard in months. What the FUCK?

These things come in threes. We've had Brad, now Heath. Drugs totally suck.

I went right past denial and into anger. Way to deny your little girl the chance to know her dad, asshole.

Shocking. Condolences to his family, friends, and fans. Rest In Peace.

World, you have to be kidding me. This is just too wrong for words.

And since it doesn't get said enough... MEMO TO FAMOUS DUDES: ENOUGH WITH THE LETHAL DRUGS ALREADY. NO, REALLY.

@fembot: CNN has NYPD confirmation and is running it on their breaking news banner.

I'm just in shock. I mean, I totally feel heartbroken. It's strange but I just connected so much to him when I saw "Brokeback Mountain" and I was looking forward to seeing him as the Joker in the Batman sequel.

This is just horrible. He was just so talented. And if it was a drug overdose that's just doubly tragic.

I just didn't see this one coming.

WNBC reporting that "Ledger was found by his housekeeper in his Broome Street apartment with pills strewn all around him, according to police." Anybody know what his mood was like recently?

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." - Norman Cousins

well, 2008 is just going along swimmingly.

HOLY CRAP.

ugh

WTF?? This is sad as fuck

This is the part of the 1980s where we all realize that drugs really aren't harmless, right?

This is exceptionally sad and shocking...absolutely the last person I would have added to the deathwatch. Work has virtually stopped around my office while people try to call everyone they know to figure out what happened.

Jesus.

Poor Matilda.

CNN, MSNBC, etc. all reporting. "Surrounded by pills" is one description I am hearing. Tragic. We are all upset her in Hollywoodland.

Just what kind of drugs are these celebrities ON anyway?

Holy balls. I heard from a phonecall by my brother. Heath was his first man-crush, all the way from his "Roar" days. As for me, Ennis del Mar was the only time I got all giddy over a movie CHARACTER and not the actor playing him. Wow.

i really want to cry. i am sitting at my work desk and i want to cry. holy fucking jesus.

Why couldn't it be britney?

Talk about being fucking blindsided. Jesus Christ...

This sucks, dude shouldn't walked down the subway with that camcorder

This is so sad that I'm actually going to refrain from making inappropriate comments.

Rest in peace.

Gays, girls, and comic book geeks everywhere are presumably crushed by this news.

Ennis del Mar is one of the most powerful performances ever captured on celluloid. There's a tangible air of panic and sadness running through L.A. at the moment.

@kthnxbai: stop it.

jesus christ, i'm fucking shocked. i mean, i knew about his drug habit, but seriously? wow.

He looked really sad, to me, in almost all of his recent pics. This a genuine loss for actor-world. The guy was one of the best. You wonder if these people have friends who care enough to watch for signs of serious depression.

So...unecessary, Heath. Dude, you don't get a chance to come back from that particular trip. It's the end.

(sigh).

His little one is only 18 months old -

He was only 28 years old.

Eonline is saying the housekeeper let in a previously scheduled masseuse and found him. EMT are calling it cardiac arrest.

I hope there aren't any snarky comments, it's just not right.

R.I.P.

@Nomi Malone: Me too, Nomi. Me too. Free scotch and vodka in my office, 2-6 PM.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Fuck fuck fuck. I have loved Heath since 10 Things I Hate About You and I was so excited to see him as the Joker. Fuck fuck fuck.

New rule: flaming out on pills is always bad, but particularly if you have a child under 12.

Very sad. Particularly for his baby girl.

Addiction being what it is, I think assignations of blame are mucho misguided. It really is just a tragedy on all accounts. A committed actor, finally getting recognition and finally working with wonderful storytellers instead of hammy heartthrob dramas and teen comedies. And with a new kid daughter. Just fucking sad.

Can't we now admit that fame is hazardous to your health? I don't like that "drugs" are already being framed as the "problem" to be "solved" in this, and that the people who take them are completely in control of taking them or not taking them.

Brokeback Mountain is going to be even sadder now. Rest in Peace.

Warner Bros. just hit red alert. Can the powers that be that inhabit Hollywood and Mad Ave. finally agree that viral campaigns are a shitty idea?

I actually shed a little tear. This is effed up!

Shit!

River Phoenix v.2.0... Another extremely talented and successful young actor fucked by drugs. Though at least Phoenix didn't leave a toddler behind... Jeez, what a shame.

Totally stunned. Had to have it repeated to me like nine times. Must consider apologizing to fucking idiot co-worker I told not to be a "fucking idiot". Sad.

You know, The Order was just on tv this past weekend, and I remember thinking, "I've always meant to rent that."

Shit.

yeah - when I refreshed - saw it on a few sites - everyone scooped by page six...

And poor Michelle, too, fuck. I hope she didn't find out via TMZ or something.

Who had Ledger pegged? man.. Nolan is going to be PISSED. All joking aside, that's pretty shocking. Was the fact he was a pill head common knowledge?

this blows. i was just watching brokeback the other day and was marveling at his performance. *sigh*
RIP, heath.

Bizarre twist time: The apartment was owned by...
Mary-Kate Olsen. ?????

According to NYPD.

@DianneRR: Suzanne Plechette!

How terribly sad.

Fucking hell. I thought he was just another pretty-boy actor until I saw Lords of Dogtown - he was amazing. Fan ever since. Fucking hell.

My jaw literally dropped when I saw this on Yahoo just now. I just watched Brokeback again this weekend and was reminded of how unbelievably talented he...was. Fuck, this totally blows. My heart feels sad.

If I had scored the cherry role of the Joker, I sure as shit would have made sure that I stayed alive to see it. Who in the world would have seen this coming!

Is that Mary-Kate thing true? That little twat should have her head sawed-off with a rusty butter knife. Poison.

Hmmm - search out and see "Two Hands" - the film that started it all.

It's sad day.