Heath Ledger

A tape of Heath Ledger allegedly at a drug binge party at a Hollywood hotel has surfaced on the Internet and is causing controversy.

The footage is believed to have been shot two years ago at L.A. celebrity hangout Chateau Marmont at a January 29, 2006 party following the Screen Actors Guild awards. Ledger had been nominated for Brokeback Mountain.

Heath Ledger appeared at the ceremony alongside girlfriend Michelle Williams, but she did not attend the private party and was reportedly sleeping in a room upstairs with the couple's infant daughter, Matilda.

The apparent Heath Ledger drug tape, which was taken through a window into a hotel room, showed him talking and shows at least one guest sniffing a "cocaine-like" substance off a table with a rolled up bill in his hand.

Heath Ledger's face is noticeably twitching as he says, "I'm gonna get so much sh*t from my girlfriend ... We have a baby three months ago. Matilda, Matilda Rose."

"I shouldn't be here at all."

At another point in the tape, Ledger talks about his marijuana habit, saying he "used to smoke five joints a day for 20 years."

The content of the drug tape is very sensitive given Ledger's tragic death in New York City on January 22, which remains unexplained at this time.

Emerging stories from various media outlets claim the 28-year-old Australian had been battling drug addiction problems and insomnia for years.

Entertainment Tonight did not end up airing the drug tape on the air, but showed a lengthy promotional clip of it in the eastern half of the U.S.

The celebrity news show later said that it decided not to show the explosive footage out of respect for Heath Ledger's family.

Follow the link for a clip of the so-called drug tape ...

Heath Ledger's battle with alcohol and drugs was so bad that now ex-fiancee Michelle Williams tried to get him to enter rehab.

For three years, Williams witnessed the gifted actor's use of alcohol and drugs, including cocaine, heroin and "a variety of pills."

In March 2006 â€" just weeks after the couple walked the Oscars red carpet - and when their daughter Matilda was only five months old - Michelle Williams drove Heath Ledger to Promises Treatment Center in Malibu, Calif.

Heath Ledger pledged to clean up, but refused to check in.

Ledger died at the age of 28 after being found alone in his apartment on January 22. So far, the investigation into his death has been inconclusive, and it has even been theorized that he may have died of natural causes.

Continue reading about Heath's struggles with addiction ...

It sounds strange, but sources intimately connected with the Heath Ledger investigation say it's possible the actor died of natural causes.

According to TMZ, it' appears that the level of toxicity (from medication) in Ledger's body was so low it may not have caused his death.

Sources are saying Heath Ledger's heart stopped. It could have been a heart attack that took his life, but it's not certain ... at least not yet.

It's rare for a 28-year-old to die of natural causes, but possible. Initial autopsy results were inconclusive, and now this report. Interesting, to say the least.

Many this will shut John Gibson up, although we doubt it. In any case, we will keep you posted as more details about Heath's tragic death are learned.

Heath Ledger (1979-2008) was laid to rest privately late last week.

Also, authorities do not believe a housekeeper heard Ledger snoring when walking in his bedroom at around 1:00 p.m., as has been reported.

A fireman observed rigor mortis in Ledger's jaw shortly after arriving on scene at around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, when Heath was found dead.

Officials believe Ledger was dead for about three hours prior to their arrival at his apartment, ruling out the possibility of snoring around 1 p.m.

Authorities are also annoyed at reports that there may have been a plot to remove drugs from Ledger's apartment before cops and firemen arrived.

There are reports that the masseuse called Mary-Kate Olsen and a plot was hatched to have her bodyguard remove drugs. Not so, authorities say.

The cops were there the entire time the bodyguard was present, and there would have been no opportunity to carry out such a plan.

Diana Wolozin, the masseuse who discovered Heath Ledger when the actor was found dead Tuesday, spent nine minutes making three phone calls to Mary-Kate Olsen before she called 911, the Associated Press reports.

She called Mary-Kate Olsen a fourth time after paramedics arrived.

Police sources say the calls are not relevant to their investigation since they believe Heath Ledger was dead when Wolozin arrived.

Foul play has been ruled out.

Both the New York Post and New York Daily News have reported that Ledger - whose funeral is set for today - had been dating Mary-Kate.

Certainly friends, definitely party pals and maybe more than that, Heath Ledger and Mary-Kate Olsen first met over the summer of 2006, at the time he was living at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, People has learned.

More recently, "Mary-Kate and Heath Ledger were casually dating for three months before Heath's death," a source says. "They were hooking up, but neither were particularly interested in making it exclusive."

As for what drew the two together, says the source:"They had a bond that was based on partying ... they had a lot of the same tastes in partying ... like, in terms of where they liked to hang out in New York, what time they would want to go out. They just had the same sensibility."

In other news, Fox News' John Gibson has issued an "apology" for ridiculing the death of Heath Ledger the other day. It's far from sincere.

In the following clip, FOX News reporter John Gibson appears awfully apologetic for his crude remarks regarding the death of Heath Ledger. He feels terrible about the lack of respect he showed earlier this week.

NOT!

What a pompous fraud. Check out the "apology" now:

Fox News' John Gibson recently commented on Heath Ledger's death - making remarks so tasteless and inappropriate, they must be heard to be believed.

On his radio show, which opened with funeral music, John Gibson called Heath Ledger a "weirdo" with a "serious drug problem."

Putting aside the fact that the exact cause of Ledger's death has still not been determined, that's pretty bad. But it got much, much worse.

Making fun of the famous line from Brokeback Mountain - the 2005 film that earned Heath an Oscar nomination for Best Actor - Gibson played the clip in which Jake Gyllenhaal's character says, "I wish I knew how to quit you."

Gibson then interjects: "Well, he found out how to quit you." What a d!ck. Click here to listen to this and the rest of Gibson's remarks.

John Gibson's ridicule of Heath Ledger defies comprehension.

Laughing, Gibson then played another clip from Brokeback Mountain in which Heath Ledger's character, Ennis, says "We're dead," followed by Gibson's own, mocking "We're dead" before playing the clip again.

This makes Rush Limbaugh seem downright lovable.

So, starring in a movie in which you portray a gay man - Heath Ledger himself was straight, not that it would make Gibson any less repulsive - makes it okay for commentators to mock your death? Absolutely incredible.

The world is mourning the loss of a great talent. Ledger's family and all of humanity deserve better than this. Get this a$$hole off the air forever.

Paramedics who first attended to Heath Ledger tell the NYPD the scene looked "normal" - meaning it appeared as if no illicit drug use had occurred.

As we reported earlier, the rolled $20 bill found at the scene tested clean for illegal narcotics, and the numerous pill bottles were nearly full.

With the initial autopsy inconclusive, the exact cause of Ledger's death will be determined by the toxicology results - in the next two weeks.

According to TMZ, nearly full pill bottles containing the anti-anxiety medications Alprazolam (Xanax), Diazepam (Valium) and Lorazepam (Ativan) were found. The sleeping medication Zoplicone (Lunesta) and the sedative Temazepam (Restoril) - which is used by people with "debilitating insomnia" - were found as well.

All of the drugs were prescribed to Heath Ledger.

Meanwhile, Heath's ex-fiancee, Michelle Williams, arrived in Brooklyn last night. Williams was carrying their two-year-old daughter Matilda.

Heath Ledger (1979-2008) had just finished filming The Dark Knight.

The NYPD has released a new timeline events pertaining to how Heath's body was discovered and Mary-Kate Olsen's connection to him. Follow the jump to read...

NYPD sources in the Heath Ledger investigation now say a $20 bill was indeed found rolled up near the late actor's body, but previous accounts saying the note had any powdered substance on it are erroneous.

An earlier WCBS report said the manner in which the bill was rolled made authorities "suspicious," and that it was being tested at the police lab as a result.

Cops found drug packets along with the $20 bill in Ledger's apartment. The results of the initial autopsy done on Heath were inconclusive.

Heath Ledger (1979-2008) was found dead yesterday afternoon.

Commissioner Ray Kelly confirmed during a news conference Wednesday that the bill was found on the floor by Ledger's bed - where he was found dead - and was taken for testing. But, he added, there was no visible residue on the bill.

TMZ has confirmed two of the medications found at Heath Ledger's apartment were Xanax and Valium, both anti-anxiety drugs. Cops also found Ambien, along with several medications prescribed in Europe.

Story developing ...

Several celebrities and producers have commented on the tragic passing of Heath Ledger, who was discovered dead in his apartment yesterday:

"What a tragedy. My heart goes out to his family." - Nicole Kidman

"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. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family." - Mel Gibson, who starred with Ledger in The Patriot

"It was with great sadness that I have learned of the passing of Heath Ledger. It is tragic that we have lost one of our nation's finest actors in the prime of his life. Heath Ledger's diverse and challenging roles will be remembered as some of the great performances by an Australian actor." - Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia

"The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news. The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent. Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person. Our hearts go out to his family and friends." - Warner Bros., producers of The Dark Knight, Heath's soon-to-be-released movie

"Heath Ledger was a courageous actor, and a great soul. He gave the gift of sharing his fearless and beautiful love â€" of his craft, and of all who worked with him â€" for which all of us will be eternally grateful." - James Schamus, CEO of Focus Features, producers of Brokeback Mountain, for which Heath earned an Oscar nomination

"This is an unimaginable tragedy. Heath Ledger was a true artist, a deeply sensitive man, an explorer, gifted and wise beyond his years. There is no finer person on this earth." - Todd Haynes, director of I'm Not There

Until the toxicology reports come in after the autopsy later today, no one will know for certain what killed Heath Ledger. But an NYPD source tells TMZ that the "operating theory" right now is that it was an accidental death, not suicide.

UPDATE: CNN reports that the autopsy findings where inconclusive Wednesday morning on Heath Ledger, and a cause-of-death determination will take 10 to 14 days, according to a spokesperson from the medical examiner's office.

Follow the jump for more actors' reflections on Heath Ledger ...

Police told Heath Ledger's family that the actor's death was accidental and there is no evidence of suicide. An autopsy is expected to be completed today.

Heath Ledger was ill with pneumonia when he died.

Heath's family - father Kim, mother Sally and sister, Katie - confirmed the tragic, untimely and accidental passing of the star in a statement:

"We would like to thank all of our friends and everyone around the world for their kind wishes at this time... Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life, but few had the pleasure to truly know him.... He was a down-to-earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving and unselfish individual who was an extreme inspiration to many. "

Heath Ledger (1977-2008) with former fiancee Michelle Williams.

Williams, with whom Ledger has a daughter, Matilda, is devastated by the news and is said to be en route to New York, where Heath was found dead yesterday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. by a masseuse and housekeeper.

Meanwhile, the connection of Heath Ledger to the Olsen twins - he was falsely reported to have been in Mary-Kate's apartment - is now clear.

As we reported yesterday, a cleaning lady for the actor arrived at the place first, followed soon thereafter by a masseuse. They both entered the room at around the same time and discovered Heath's lifeless body.

The cleaning lady called the police. The masseuse, we're told, called the bodyguard for the Olsens. She called him because they're friends and he's an EMT.

The bodyguard was around the block at Ashley Olsen's apartment and went over right away. By the time he arrived, police were already there.

It appeared Heath Ledger "had been dead for a while" and there were no visible signs of trauma. There was a pill bottle on the nightstand.

We first reported authorities found Heath Ledger naked on the floor. It now looks like emergency workers put the lifeless actor there in an attempt to resuscitate him, having found him on the bed originally.

A police official says there were pill bottles scattered around the apartment - not necessarily pills themselves strewn on the floor.

Story developing ...