AceShowbiz -

Heath Ledger is dead. The Hollywood heartthrob who has starred in such critical and financial successful flicks, as "The Patriot," "Monster's Ball" and "Brokeback Mountain," was found dead at his Manhattan residence Tuesday, January 22. He was 28 years old.

Ledger was found dead naked on bed, surrounded by prescription sleeping pills in the bedroom of his Soho apartment around 3:30 P.M. by his housekeeper and a masseuse who had arrived for an appointment with the actor.

Reporting on the actor's sudden death, the New York Post quoted the police as saying, "at 3:31 P.M. a masseuse arrived at the fourth-floor apartment of the building, at 421 Broome Street, between Crosby and Lafayette Streets in SoHo, for an appointment with Mr. Ledger. The masseuse was let in to the home by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of the bedroom Mr. Ledger was in. When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Mr. Ledger naked and unconscious on a bed, with sleeping pills - both prescription medication and nonprescription - on a night table. They moved his body to the floor and attempted to revive him, but he did not respond. They immediately called the authorities."

There has yet any official confirmation on the cause of his death. Nevertheless, police said the death may have been drug-related as "prescription-type drugs" were found near his body, adding there was "no obvious sign" of suicide.

Ledger's publicist, Mara Buxbaum, issued a statement on Tuesday night, saying, "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."

Ledger is father to daughter Matilda Rose Ledger whom he had with former lover, actress Michelle Williams.