Heath Ledger Interview From 5 Years Ago Explains Cause Of Death In His Own Words

Today marks the 5 year anniversary of the death of actor Heath Ledger. For those that don't remember, Ledger was found unconscious by a masseuse visiting his apartment. Authorities ruled him dead on the scene due to a cocktail of prescription and nonprescription sleeping pills. Perhaps the most tragic part of the story was Ledger died in January and would never get to hear the widespread critical acclaim of The Dark Knight which premiered that summer.

Stumbling through articles released the day of his death I found an article published by the New York Times just after he finished his role in the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There and during filming for the Dark Knight. Ledger talks about being tired and stress directly relating to the role below.

Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,” he said. “I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.” One night he took an Ambien, which failed to work. He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing.

There it is. Ledger himself describing the exact ritual that would later bring the 28 (no, he's not part of the 27 club) year old actor to his end. Sad to see all the signs were there and yet no one realized the severity of the problem. You can read the full article clicking here.