Celebrity News & Pictures

Prior to his death, Heath Ledger was battling substance abuse problems – including an addiction to heroin – for some time. “He had a stint in rehab last year when he was treated for heroin,” a source told The Daily Mail, adding that Ledger was increasingly introverted at the time of his death.

There are claims the strain of playing the Joker in the new Batman film may have proved too much for the star – in a recent interview he told how the role of a “murderous psychopath” had left him “sleepless and exhausted”.

He was only sleeping around two hours a night, with reports speculating his reliance on sleeping pills lead to his “accidental overdose”.

A police spokesperson confirmed sleeping pills – both prescription medication and non-prescription – were found in the vicinity of the actor’s body. Officers have ruled out foul play.

Above pictures: Left; Heath with his 2-year-old daughter Matilda out in New York on November 27th last year. Right; Heath in one of the last pictures taken of the actor while in London filming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus over the weekend.