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Heath Ledger Death Update: Masseuse's Pre-911 Calls to Mary-Kate ; No Narcotics Found; Michelle Williams Returns

John Del Signore

Published Jan 24, 2008

Modified Mar 7, 2008

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John Del Signore

Published Jan 24, 2008

Modified Mar 7, 2008

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Some more details surrounding Heath Ledger's death have emerged, even though the autopsy is inconclusive for the actor's cause of death. Though CBS 2 initially reported that a rolled up $20 bill in Ledger's SoHo apartment had narcotic residue on it and that cops had found unidentified drug packets, the NYPD now confirms that lab tests found nothing to indicate the bill had been used to snort drugs and that no illegal drugs were found in the apartment. There were six types of prescription drugs in the room, including pills to treat insomnia and anxiety.

Here’s the official timeline:

Police believe Ledger probably died between 1pm and 2:45pm on Tuesday.

At 1pm the housekeeper went into his bedroom to change a light bulb and heard him snoring.

At 2:45pm a massage therapist, Diana Wolozin, showed up for Ledger's appointment.

After waiting and getting no response from his cell phone, she entered his room at 3pm.

Wolozin initially assumed Ledger was asleep and set up her massage table, only realizing he was unconscious when she tried to wake him up.

But before calling 911, she decided to seek advice from former child star Mary-Kate Olsen, whose number was programmed into Ledger's cell phone.

Olsen said she’d send her bodyguard to assess and the call ended.

But Wolozin soon discovered Ledger’s body was stone cold.

So she called Olsen again (because, you know, who better to deal with a crisis?) to say she would call 911

After that chat, the paramedics were finally summoned at 3:26pm.

Police say Wolozin is cooperating with the investigation, but she could be in deep trouble anyway: According to the NY Times, no Diana Wolozin is listed in the state database of licensed massage therapists and it is a felony to practice massage without a license in New York (massage therapists have to complete many hours of training and classes before being license).

The picture police - and Ledger's family - are offering significantly differs from initial speculation about a suicide or narcotic overdose. People magazine paints a portrait of Ledger as a hyper, sleep-deprived actor whose immersion in his roles kept his mind racing through the night. A dog walker in Washington Square Park says he grew friendly with Ledger after frequently spotting him strolling in the park in the early morning.

Ledger’s death is now looking more like an accidental overdose by an insomniac trying to self-medicate himself into sleep. The toxicology report will be released in a week or two, and many point to recent interviews or conversations where Ledger mentioned sleeping very little or having difficulties sleeping.

Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, director of the 2002 movie Four Feathers that starred Ledger, had plans to meet with Ledger on Monday morning and spoke with him night before his death: "He made me promise that I would call him in the morning and wake him up. I tried. Little did I know that his soul had already left his body."

Fellow Batman Joker Jack Nicholson says he warned deceased actor Heath Ledger about using Ambien: “I warned him. I took Ambien once. I fell asleep and then got a call and almost drove off a cliff 50 yards from my house.” The experience would not be uncharacteristic for Nicholson or Ambien users; the drug is infamous for side-effects like sleepwalking and driving.

Michelle Williams arrived back in New York yesterday with the couple’s two-year-old daughter; she proceeded directly to the Brooklyn townhouse (pictured) she shared with Ledger before their split last September. A celebrity memorial for Ledger is rumored to be taking place this weekend in Los Angeles, with the remains to be buried in Perth, Australia.

And the parishioners at Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas have vowed to embody Christ's message of tolerance by protesting at the "pervert's" funeral because "God hates fags and the sordid, tacky bucket of slime seasoned with vomit known as Brokeback Mountain."

Tagged

ambien

cbs

cell phone

death

drugs

heath ledger

Jack Nicholson

Kate Olsen

mary kate olsen

michelle williams

new york

ny times

nypd

overdose

soho

toxicology

John Del Signore

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Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

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