Heath Ledger, the actor who quickly transformed from Aussie heartthrob to Oscar nominee and doting dad, was found dead at his Manhattan residence Tuesday, a New York police spokesman confirms. He was 28.
Police say the death may have been drug-related and that "prescription-type drugs" were found near his body.
Ledger was found 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, according to the Associated Press and New York Times.
Ledger, who was in bed, did not respond when they shook him, and the housekeeper called 911. He was pronounced dead at 3:45 p.m. ET.
Authorities said they did not suspect foul play but that pills were found near the body.
"There were some drugs found around the body – prescription-type drugs," a police spokesman tells PEOPLE. Another police source says there were two bottles of prescription sleep aids, and that the prescriptions were made out to Ledger.
A medical examiner removed Ledger's body from the apartment just before 6:30 p.m. ET, and New York City Medical Examiner spokeswoman Ellen Borakove says the autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Despite initial reports that Ledger was subletting the apartment from Mary-Kate Olsen, reps for the actress denied that Olsen ever owned or lived in the apartment.
Ledger was last spotted publicly in London on Saturday on the set of Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Photos showed Ledger wearing a clown costume. Other pictures of Ledger out of costume show him with long brown hair and a dark goatee.
