Heath Ledger is found dead (THE JOKER)

The actor was found dead in the apartment he had been renting for several months at 1526 (2026 GMT) on Tuesday.

New York police said they did not suspect foul play and that his body had been discovered with prescription pills nearby.

"We are investigating the possibility of an overdose," police spokesman Paul Browne told Reuters news agency. "There were pills within the vicinity of the bed."

The BBC's Matthew Price in New York says the exact cause of death was still being investigated, but suicide has not been ruled out.

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