The shocking loss of Heath Ledger is still being absorbed and we are no closer to knowing what killed this brilliant young actor at the age of 28.

An autopsy performed on the “Brokeback Mountain” star was inconclusive Wednesday so it will not be known for days or maybe weeks what happened the day before, when he was found dead inside the bedroom of his SoHo apartment.

The New York City Medical Examiner’s said office toxicology and tissue testing must now be done. Found in his apartment were prescription sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication as well as a rolled-up $20 bill that is being tested for any possible drug residue.

An accidental drug overdose seems to be the leading theory since the actor did not appear to be suicidal, according to friends and family. People.com reported that Heath was suffering from pneumonia at the time of his death.

The tributes to the Oscar-nominated star have been pouring in and none were more touching than the one read by his father, Kim Ledger, before television cameras in Australia: “We would like to thank our friends and everyone around the world for their well wishes and kind thoughts at this time,” the father said. “Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life but few had the pleasure of truly knowing him. He was a down to earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving and selfless individual who was extremely inspirational to many.”

Heath’s ex-girlfriend, Michelle Williams, was on location in Sweden at the time of the death with the former couple’s 2-year-old daughter, Matilda. She and Heath fell in love on the set of “Brokeback” but their three-year romantic relationship quietly ended last year.

Michelle was photographed Wednesday at an airport in Sweden preparing to board a flight back to the U.S.
Michelle’s father, Larry Williams, told The Daily Telegraph from his Sydney home that Heath’s death has left his family broken-hearted. He described the 28-year-old as a “great talent” who was devoted to daughter Matilda.

“I think Tennyson got it right in the poem when he described someone as having died at a young age but burning the candles at both ends, and oh what a beautiful flame he made, that was Heath, what a beautiful flame he made and a great talent. My heart goes out to everyone in his family and my family.”

“Brokeback” director Ang Lee called Heath’s death “heartbreaking.”
“Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life,” the director said in a statement. “He brought to the role of Ennis (Del Mar) more than any of us could have imagined – a thirst for life, for love, and for truth, and a vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him.”

At the end of taping her syndicated talk show on Wednesday, Ellen DeGeneres called Heath an “amazing, amazing, talented young man... He was a friend – and we will miss him.”
She then ran a brief but delightfully fun clip of Heath’s most recent appearance on the show nearly a year ago then signed off with a simple, quiet wave.

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With everyone still reeling from the death of Heath Ledger, the ongoing Britney Spears drama seems even more annoying than usual.
How maddening it is that a little girl named Matilda Ledger will never know her dad while two little boys named Sean Preston and Jayden James might not know their mom because she refuses to get the treatment she needs?
A judge on Wednesday denied Britney visitation rights with her two sons. She had arrived for an emergency custody hearing Wednesday that she had requested – then left the courthouse before it began.

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