Heath Ledger's Last Words: 'I Just Need To Get Some Sleep'

Katherine Ledger, Heath Ledger’s sister, was the last member of his family to speak to the actor before he died, said Kim Ledger, Heath's father. The actor was found unconscious by his housekeeper at his Manhattan home. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead when the emergency crews arrived. He died on Jan. 22, 2008 at the age of 28.

In an interview with ABC News, Kim said that the night before his son’s death, his daughter Kate was talking to Heath over the phone. The actor was complaining about difficulty in sleeping especially since he had important things to do the next day. His sister cautioned him about taking sleeping pills together with cold medicines. Heath assured her it would be fine and that he “just need to get some sleep.” It came as a shock to the family when news of his death reached them especially when they knew of what he last said to his sister.

Heath was born in Perth, Australia. He first got into acting when he was 10 years old when he landed the lead role in his school’s production of “Peter Pan.” At the age of 16, he pursued an acting career in Sydney, Australia, working on small TV roles before his debut film “Blackrock.”

At 19, he began his Hollywood career with the film “10 Things I Hate About You” with actress Julia Stiles. He continued landing acting roles in movies such as “The Patriot”, “Monster’s Ball” and “A Knight’s Tale.” It wasn’t until he played Ennis Del Mar opposite Jake Gyllenhaal’s Jack Twist that he won Best Actor awards from the New York and San Francisco Film Critics Circle in 2005. He was also nominated as Best Actor in the Academy Awards for his performance.

Before his death, he had finished filming Chris Nolan’s “Batman” playing the role of the villainous “Joker.” For his performance, he won several posthumous awards including Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role from the Academy and Golden Globe Awards in the year 2008.

His unfinished role in the movie "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" was continued by actors Collin Farrell, Jude Law and Johnny Depp. The actors chose to give their pays from the movie to Heath's daughter, Matilda Rose, with former fiancée Michelle Williams.

His death was ruled as an accident caused by a lethal mixture of prescription drugs. His family was aware he was taking some medication.

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