Heath Ledger¹ was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan apartment, naked in bed with sleeping pills nearby. The Australian-born actor was 28. The reason was not clear yet.

He had an appointment for a massage² at a residence in the tony neighborhood of SoHo, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. A housekeeper³ who went to let him know the massage therapist had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

"We are all deeply saddened and shocked by this accident," Ledger's publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said in a statement Tuesday night. "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 speculation⁴ until the facts are known."

The medical examiner's office planned an autopsy⁵ Wednesday, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

Ledger was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," where he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the film. The two had a daughter, Matilda, and lived together in Brooklyn until they split up last year.

Ledger most recently appeared in "I'm Not There," in which he played one of the many incarnations of Bob Dylan.

He's had starring roles in "A Knight's Tale" and "The Patriot," and played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in "Monster's Ball."

"I had such great hope for him," said Mel Gibson, who played Ledger's father in "The Patriot," in a statement. "He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic⁶ loss."

Ledger was born in 1979 in Perth, in western Australia, to a mining engineer and a French teacher, and got his first acting⁷ role playing Peter Pan at age 10 at a local theater company.

 澳大利亚籍影星希斯•莱杰（译者注：电影《断背山》男主角）于本周二被发现死于曼哈顿的家中，年仅28岁。莱杰被发现时全身赤裸地躺在床上，身旁有一些安眠药片。目前他的死因尚未确定。

纽约警察局发言人保尔•布朗尼说，当天莱杰约了一位按摩师来其位于高级SoHo区的家中按摩。但当他的管家去通知他按摩师已到访时，发现他已经死亡，当时的时间是下午3点26分。

莱杰的经纪人马拉•巴克斯鲍姆在本周二晚发表的一份声明中说：“我们对莱杰的突然离去感到十分悲痛和震惊。此时他的亲人一定非常痛苦，我们已请求媒体尊重他们的隐私，在事情没弄清楚之前，不要无根据地猜测。”

纽约警察局女发言人艾伦•波拉科维说，监察医务院将于本周三对莱杰进行尸检。

希斯•莱杰曾在电影《断背山》中饰演一名同性恋牛仔，并因此获得奥斯卡奖提名。后来，他与片中饰演其妻子的米歇尔•威廉姆斯相恋，并与其育有一女玛蒂尔达。两人一直住在布鲁克林区，直到去年分手。

莱杰最近出演的一部电影是《我不在场》，他在片中饰演具有多重人格的鲍勃•迪伦的一种化身。

他曾主演影片《圣战骑士》和《爱国者》，并在《死囚之舞》中饰演了主人公（比利•鲍勃•汤顿饰演）自杀身亡的儿子。

在《爱国者》中饰演莱杰父亲的梅尔•吉布森在一份声明中说：“我对他寄予了厚望。他的事业正处于上升期，英年早逝实在是悲痛的损失。”

莱杰于1979年出生于澳大利亚西部的泊思市，他的父亲是一名开矿工程师，母亲是一位法语教师。莱杰十岁那年在当地一家剧团获得了他的第一个角色比特•潘。

Vocabulary:

autopsy:尸检