We've tried to stay away from all of the rumors and speculation about the events that led to Heath Ledger's sudden and tragic passing two weeks ago, but the results from the the toxicology report came in today and the New York medical examiner has ruled that his death was an accident. A statement was released saying, "Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine. We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications.” In response to this news, Heath's family released the following statement:
“We remain humble as parents and a family, among millions of people worldwide who may have suffered the tragic loss of a child. Few can understand the hollow, wrenching, and enduring agony parents silently suffer when a child predeceases them. Today's results put an end to speculation, but our son's beautiful spirit and enduring memory will forever remain in our hearts. While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy. Heath's accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage.
“Our family enjoyed an extremely happy two week visit with Heath just prior to the New Year. Those recent precious days will stay with us forever. We as a family feel privileged to have some of his amazing magic moments captured in film. To most of the world Heath was an actor of immeasurable talent and promise. To those who knew him personally, Heath was a consummate artist whose passions also included photography, music, chess and directing. We knew Heath as a loving father, as our devoted son, and as a loyal and generous brother and friend.
“We treasure our beautiful granddaughter Matilda (to our dear Michelle) as well as an unbelievably wonderful network of close friends, forever, around the world. Families rarely experience the uplifting, warm and massive outpouring of grief and support as have we, from every corner of the planet. This has deeply and profoundly touched our hearts and lives. We are eternally grateful.
“At this moment we respectfully request the worldwide media allow us time to grieve privately, without the intrusions associated with press and photography.”
Heath's closest family and friends, including Michelle and Matilda who arrived today will gather in his hometown of Perth, Australia, for the upcoming funeral and burial of the beloved actor. Our hearts and thoughts go out to Heath's loved ones. May he rest in peace.
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Dress for Less
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so so sad
1I knew his death couldn't have been a suicide or intentional overdose. He just didn't seem the type at all. We all have our demons to grapple with, but I just didn't get the feeling he was giving up. He seemed to love his little girl too much.
Poor family, I can't imagine anything worse. RIP Heath.
2Very touching statement.
3I wish his family the hope & faith it takes to heal from such a great loss.
4So sad.. He was so beautiful and talented.
My thoughts are with his family ad I hope the media respect their wishes, especially at his funeral.
5That's a lot of drugs to be taking for a healthy 28 yr old. Why was he even taking Oxycodone and Hydrocodone??? They are pain relievers and not the kind used for headaches, it's for much more severe pain. That's weird that someone would prescribe a young healthy person both of those pain meds when he didn't look like he had anything physical that would warrant those meds. What I mean is he didn't limp with a bad back ect...
I would be having a chat with his doctor if I were his family.
6heartbreaking.
7His poor family
So Sad!
That was such a touching statement.
8Heartbreaking, may he rest in peace.
9Wow.
10I hope everyone learns an important lesson from this accidet.
Oh geez. Just heartbreaking.
11Funny how being given one set of answers raises further very valid questions.
All that aside, this really is a tragic death. Hopefully his family is given the space, time and privacy to come to terms with this tragedy.
12Rest in peace, Heath.
13I'm glad that the facts are now out, and everyone can stop speculating - I think that anderson Cooper was one of the few good journalists who said that after initially reporting on Heath's death that he would stop discussing it until there was an actual report , because he didn't feel that people should be mindlessly speculating esp when Heath's family was mourning.
I hope that Heath's fam and everyone else is now at peace with this issue and that Heath's memory is no longer tainted - it was an accident, there you go.
14This is frightening. Aside from the heavier oxycontin, I can imagine being sick and exhausted enough to take anything that would make you feel better or get some rest. Terribly sad.
15I'm so glad it was accidental. I'm not glad he passed, but at least he didn't do it purposely. As for the 6 prescription medications and the strength of them... i can sort of relate. In MExico, where I'm from, it's really easy to get these prescriptions and mix them to get a "bomb that will rid you of your flu" (combinations of medications that aren't dangerous when taken appropriately). It makes me a little worried to think that us youngsters have taken these "bombs" prescribed by friends (daughters or sons of dr's) and we can find the meds lying around in our home.
I'll definatley be way more careful. Heath's in my prayers =0)
16I'm having a hard time commenting on this one. I think it is obvious he had a problem and it's sad it had to end this way. You cannot take all these meds and function normally like he did without having a dependency issue. As far as the doctor is concerned, I wonder if all the meds were prescribed by the same one? If so, then the doctor should be looked at but I think it is likely he "doctor shopped" or he could have gotten some of them from friends or "off the street." Anyways I guees no one will ever know the real truth, which is fine. I hope his family and true friends can eventually recover from this.
17
18That is sad, it was an accident and could have happened to anyone. I just knew that he didn't kill himself.
Hopefully now the media can leave his family alone to mourn in peace.
19My thoughts are with his family and friends. These statements are so sad. Stay strong michelle.
20RIP beautiful Heath
21Marybeth, he didn't necessarily doctor shop. My mom has a lot of health issues and dependency issues, she is on a lot of different medications,pain killers included and from the same doctor. ( i think sometimes they give them to her to shut her up)it makes me nervous as who looks into what she is taking and can they interact with the other ones and causes problems? I don't know if when you get them filled at say like CVS that the pharmacist checks that stuff. I know now a days that pharmacies are connected by computer so that if you go into CVS one day and to Rite Aid the next to fill the same type of prescription they know it.
22PLEASE DO NOT TAKE OXYCONTIN--FOR ANYTHING!
Doctors prescribe it too easily. It is unbelievably addictive and makes you crazy, depressed, isolated. If you know anyone who takes it as a prescription or otherwise, I beg you to try to tell them to change it to another pain reliever or get help to stop using it.
You may save their life.
23wow that's a lot of medication. why would a doctor prescribe those kinds of pain medications? You have to be in some kind of major pain to get those, like illness or injury. It's not like he had a broken leg or anything.
24I'm sure an investigation was done and they know if the pill bottles that were in his room were prescribed to Heath or not. Yes, with him taking all of those medications it's obviously that he was abusing them. You're never supposed to combine 2 sleep meds and 2 anti anxiety meds at the same time, not to mention 2 powerful pain meds. The narcotics (the Vicodin and Percecets), are abused to get a euphoric relaxed high, something like a very mild heroin would produce.
No one would ever need as much meds that were in his system. He was smart, I think he just got careless. Especially taking the Lunesta. If he took that first, then it possibly could have made him forget he had taken the other meds and then decided to take them again without knowing how much he had actually consumed. Just a guess though. Sad.
None of them are used to treat the "flu" as an earlier comment was stating. Unless the "flu" they are talking about isn't influenza and they are talking about something else.
25RIP Heath.
26marybeth, three of the prescriptions were from London, where he was filming a movie. I don't think he doctor shopped.
27Kellilicious,
28He had oxycodone in his system, it doesn't mean he was taking Oxycontin. I'm a nurse and I know that Oxycontin is heaven sent for many people. Oxycodone is in Oxycontin, but Oxycontin is the long acting form of the drug and it dissolves over a period of 12 hours providing longer lasting pain relief so you don't have to keep popping other pain meds. Taken like it is prescribed will cause no harm. It's when people start chewing it and taking more than they are supposed to that causes problems. It's for chronic pain and what are you supposed to do with people with chronic pain, just let them suffer?
His family put together a very nice loving statement. It's rare to read one that heartfelt. People try, but it never seems to come across as well as they managed to make theirs. Goodbye Heath. We'll miss you.
29The pharmacies know it because your mom's insurance won't pay for it a shorter time frame than how it is prescribed. Otherwise she can obtain the meds and pay out of pocket. I see your point on doctor's not looking out for mixing meds and their interactions because a relative of mine almost died from mixing a diuretic with a certain kind of blood pressure medication. Heath Ledger's doctor or doctors were probably star struck or either did not care about him and prescribed what Heath wanted. By the way doctors practically throw these meds at people when they go in for something as simple as a cough, backache, headache, etc. I don't want to argue but I am speaking from experience.
30By the way I don't think anything less of Heath because he took prescribed meds. I hope the best for his family and I think it is sad that he died.
31Even if a doctor misses the bad combination of meds, a pharmacy would have picked up on it if he filled all of his meds at the same pharmacy.
Doctors NEVER prescribe Hydrocodone or Oxycodone for a cough or headache. If they do then they need their license revoked because one of the side effects of Vicodin and Oxycodone is a HEADACHE because it can increase the intracranial pressure.
Backache...yes.
32I agree some doctors practically throw these meds at people, i know when i had my wisdom teeth out the doctor gave me vicodin and when i went back a week later he tried to give me more. I told him i still have some of the ones that you gave me last week and he said well call me if you need more.
33I hope the best for his family too, marybeth. It's all so unfortunate.
34RIP Heath...you are still my favorite!
35I hope that somehow releasing this information is perhaps beneficial to someone else who will think twice before mixing medications.... It's a very sad story, but I think that maybe the lesson will be passed on and so maybe his death won't have been in vain.
36I stand by my comment. If anyone here has had an experience with a friend or loved one that became addicted to oxycodone/oxycontin (whichever) after it was prescribed for chronic pain, I'm sure they would agree with me.
37It's like that with ANY thing you can become addicted to Kelly. You have to be mature enough not to abuse it. You have to say to yourself, Ok it say take 1 every 6 hrs, then I shouldn't take 4 every 2 hrs. Yes, if you abuse it, you will become addicted. The solution is NOT to abuse it.
38Spitfire, I love your posts and you have a lot of knowledge to offer but you are wrong about hydros and oxys. Look up what neurologists prescribe for migraines along with sumatriptans, zolmitriptans, etc.-NARCOTICS. Also look up Tussionex and other various atuss cough syrups; they all contain hydrocodone which is also used as a cough suppressant. Peace guys, I am going to lunch. Please no anger towards me. My PMS cannot take it:)
39I thought the same thing, right off as spitfire's Comment #6.
Accidental, as in he THOUGHT he knew what he was doing? Valid, I guess. I doubt this was his first time experimenting with those prescribed chemicals.
40I'm impressed with how eloquently and heartfelt his family and Michelle have written about Heath these past weeks. I think it says a lot about how special and loved he was, and will be missed.
Sounds like a bad mix of sleeping meds for his chronic sleeping problems, with some powerful meds for his pneumonia. They had been shooting night scenes outdoors in London the week before and everyone on the set said it was painfully cold. The hydrocodone is used in some cough syrups.
Oh well, whatever the reason, he'll be sadly missed all the same.
41Leave it too the media AND some posters to insist that it was something else other than accidental. People look for the wrong in everything___just to have some drama to speak on, OR write about.
42aww i dont even know what do say anymore. im just sad all together.
43My kisses to you in Heaven
...poor kid...I know what it's like to take a pill to feel a certain relief or calm which is why this is soooo upsetting....nothing to his extent; maybe a benadryl here and there to get woozy and knock out for a few hours...in any event, this should def bring to light what many people, especially younger people do and the effect...he didn't feel pain and like they said probably just started breathing slower and slower until he died...you really never know what some one's feeling or going through inside if we judged by their outward appearance, level of success, family, etc....kisses to his family, Michelle and mostly little Matilda...when she gets old enough to see 10 Things I Hate About You and whatever else is acceptable for her to watch, (doubt she'll want to see mom & dad screw in Brokeback Mountain) she'll know her dad was frickin awesome
44beautiful.
45Liss, my dentist did the same thing...I got one frickin wisdom tooth out last Friday and got a 14 pill prescription to Percocet (or however you spell it)...he said "only name brand, the real stuff"...I took one, nearly threw up, got woozy and lightheaded and fell into a weird trance where I'd be out, then wake up, then out but I never felt like my eyes closed.....anywayz, I go back this Friday and he said he may give me more just in case....in case of what? I have 12.5 pills left (realized half a pill was fine every 6 hrs) and I have nooooo pain at all (which is what I told him)...if I had an issue, I could probably get this dude to give me whatever I want and he would; easily....why do they throw drugs at people..it's sooo easy to get this ****
46Yes hydocodone is sometimes in cough syrup, but you wouldn't prescribe Hydocodone or oxycodone ALONE for a headache or a cough. She's right about that. It's only in cough syrups in combination with other ingredients that make it effective.I took a pharmacy class for some extra credits and I know that much.
The number one choice for migraines is something called Fioricet, sometime you can get that with codeine but that still is not Hydrocodone or oxycodone even though they are derivatives of codeine. Codeine is what would have come up in autopsy not specifically Hydrocodone or Oxycodone.
If a Dr prescribes either one of those for a headache or pneumonia then they need more classes in pharmacology and they could be found negligent since it resulted in death. I've never known either one of those used to treat headaches or pneumonia. Hydrocodone and Oxycodone reduce your respiration's and that is NOT something that needs to happen if you have pneumonia because you're not getting the O2 exchange normally to begin with.
47I want to know where the doctors mentioned on here are located! I have a chronic pain condition and have a devil of a time getting any pain meds from my doctor. I just suffer through it most of the time.
I do think celebs get pretty much anything they want from their docs. Look at Anna Nicole!
48That's what I was thinking Honeylamb. Percecets for a tooth extraction? All I got was Ibuprofen and that's when I had 2 wisdom teeth removed. I was back at work the next day and never had any pain or problems. The Ibuprofen is an anti inflammatory, Percecet is not, it's only a pain reliever. Surprises me that a dentist would prescribe a class 2 narcotic for pulling teeth.
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