BROKEBACK Mountain actor Heath Ledger was found dead with sleeping pills near his naked body in his New York apartment, police said today.

Ledger, 28, was found after a possible drug-related death in his central Manhattan apartment yesterday, New York police department spokesman Paul Browne said.

The Australian-born actor's body was discovered by his housekeeper at around 3.30pm local time after she went to let him know a masseuse had arrived for an appointment, Mr Browne said.

Police said they did not suspect foul play and Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the city's medical examiner's office, said an autopsy was planned for later today.

Mara Buxbaum, Ledger's publicist, said: "We are all deeply saddened and shocked by this accident.

"This is an extremely difficult time for his loved ones and we are asking the media to please respect the family's privacy and avoid speculation until the facts are known."

At the scene, a police spokesman said Ledger was found naked at the foot of the bed, face down.

Prescription drugs, including sleeping pills, were found nearby and there was no evidence that a party had taken place.

No suicide note was found, the spokesman said.

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In Australia today, Ledger's father Kim spoke of his family's grief and said the actor's death was accidental.

Tragic

"We, Heath's family can confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda," Mr Ledger said in Perth.

"He was down to earth, generous, kind hearted, life loving unselfish individual extremely inspirational to many.

"Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life that few had the pleasure of truly knowing him."

Outside the apartment in SoHo, hundreds of reporters, photographers and passers-by crowded around the entrance as Ledger's body was brought out in a black bag at around 6.30pm (11.30pm GMT).

Several police officers stood guard at the door as Ledger's body was placed in a white medical examiner's vehicle before being driven away from the scene.

Tamba Mossa, the building's superintendent, described Ledger as "sweet" and said he could not tell whether he was depressed or not because he was an actor.

"He loved his daughter," Mr Mossa said.

Mr Mossa, who is from Sierra Leone, added he last saw Ledger about two months ago.

Michelle Vella, who works in nearby store Calypso, said she had frequently seen Ledger carrying his daughter Matilda, two, on his shoulders, or having ice cream with her.

"It's so sad. They were really close," said Ms Vella.

"He's a very down to earth guy and an amazing father."

Tributes to the young actor were led by Australia's prime minister Kevin Rudd, who said he was greatly saddened by Ledger's death.

Fellow Australian Nicole Kidman said it was a "terrible tragedy" and sent her condolences to Ledger's family while Mel Gibson, who played Ledger's vengeful father in The Patriot, said: "I had such great hope for him.

"He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss."

Ledger, who was nominated for the best actor Oscar in 2006 for Brokeback Mountain, had Matilda from his relationship with actress Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the film.

The couple split up last year.

Ledger was last spotted publicly in London on Saturday on the set of Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, showbiz website TMZ reported.

Dylan

Photos showed Ledger wearing a clown costume. Other pictures of Ledger out of costume showed him with long brown hair and a dark goatee.

Most recently, he appeared as the singer Bob Dylan in I'm Not There and was due to appear as the Joker this year in The Dark Night, a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins.

In November, he told The New York Times that he "stressed out a little too much" during the Dylan film, and had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker, whom he called a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy".

"Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night," Ledger told the newspaper.

"I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."

He said he took two Ambien pills, which only worked for an hour, the paper said.

He also starred as the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in Monster's Ball and appeared in A Knight's Tale, The Patriot, and 10 Things I Hate About You.

Before his relationship with Williams, he also dated actresses Heather Graham and Naomi Watts.

Ledger grew up in Perth, Australia and began doing amateur theatre at age 10. At 16, he moved to Sydney to pursue an acting career, quickly landing TV movie roles and guest spots on Australian television. Three years later, he moved to the US.

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