Heath Ledger has been found dead at age 28.

Update: A statement from the family.

We, Heath's family, confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda, who was found in a peaceful sleep in his New York apartment by his housekeeper at 3:30 p.m. (EST)," his father, Kim, read while accompanied by mother Sally and Ledger's sister, Katie.

"We would like to thank 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.

"Please now respect our family's need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately."

"His mother and father heard of his death on the news. We are all devastated. The whole family is devastated over his death, and more so over having to learn of his death from the media."

Ex-fiancee and the mother to his child Michelle Williams is on a plane rushing to NY and is reportedly devastated. She has been on location in Sweden, and it is believed Matilda is with her.

Michelle Williams' father Larry called Heath "a beautiful flame":

"I think Tennyson got it right in the poem when he described someone as having died at a young age but burning the candles at both ends, and oh what a beautiful flame he made, that was Heath, what a beautiful flame he made and a great talent."

"My heart goes out to everyone in his family and my family."

"The saddest thing is his daughter whom he just loved dearly."

911 was called around 3:30 Tuesday afternoon, and the body was taken away by the medical examiner 3 hours later. At 6:30 pm Ledger's body left the apartment building in a black body bag on a stretcher. Here's the video.
The medical examiner said the autopsy will be completed Wednesday afternoon.

TMZ reports Ledger was suffering from pneumonia at the time of death and that his family has been notified the death was accidental: "They are particularly distraught over media reports that he may have taken his own life. The family says he was not that kind of person."

At a press conference late Tuesday evening police confirmed that Ledger was found naked, face down in a bedroom in an apartment he was renting. He was found at 2:45 by his housekeeper and masseuse when the latter showed up for a scheduled appointment. Contrary to early reports, there were not pills strewn around, but there were pill bottles, including prescription sleeping medications. It is not known how long Ledger had been in the apartment.

Fellow Australians like Mel Gibson and Nicole Kidman (best friend to Heath's ex Naomi Watts) have expressed their sadness over his passing.

A UK paper quotes Jack Nicholson as saying simply, "I told him so."

Ledger will next be seen reprising Nicholson's role as the Joker in Batman sequel The Dark Knight, trailer here.

Warner Brothers, which is releasing the movie this summer, released a statement reading in part, "The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent. Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person."

Update:
TMZ reports the death was accidental, according to unnamed sources.
The NY Times says Ledger was found dead in Mary Kate Olsen's apartment, lying naked and face down. A NYPD spokesman confirms to TMZ it is not Mary-Kate's apartment.
TMZ explains how that reporting error was made.

Heath ledger has recently been filming "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". Here are set photos, and TMZ has what it claims is last photo of Heath from the set last weekend.

Here is a picture of Heath with daughter Matilda. More here and here.

Here is video clip from 2 months ago of a Ledger interview for Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There". He seems mildly out of it and speaks of playing the Joker in the Batman film "The Dark Knight."

Here is video of Ledger on "Ellen" in 2006, happily talking about his then-newborn daughter and finding out about his "Brokeback Mountain" Oscar nomination.

Photos of his life.

Meanwhile, a friend of Ledger's tells Us that:

"To tell you the truth... we saw it coming. Heath has gone though a rough road of trying to get sober," the source tells Us.

"Things were very dark," the source says. "His one joy was Matilda."

Previously:
From TMZ who broke the story at 4:30 pm:

TMZ has learned that Academy Award nominee Heath Ledger has died in NY.

He was found dead in his bed in one of his residences in Soho by his housekeeper at 3:35 PM ET today. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ they believe it was not a crime.

The 28-year-old actor has a two year old daughter with former fiancee Michelle Williams. He was set to play the Joker in the upcoming Batman film "The Dark Knight."

A NYPD spokesman confirmed the news according to WNBC in New York, which broke in with the news at 4:45. Pills were strewn in the room, they report.

An FDNY spokesperson said he was dead on arrival, and they did not transport him to the hospital. One fire truck and one ambulance responded to a 911 call.

According the AP:

Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan residence in a possible drug-related death, police said. He was 28.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Manhattan apartment believed to be his home. The housekeeper who went to let Ledger know the masseuse was there found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

IMDB Profile
People's timeline of his life
Daughter Matilda born in October 2005
A fansite
Heath starred in "Candy", a movie about heroin use.
Heath went to rehab to learn about drugs for "Candy"

The body bag leaving, as streamed live over the internet at 6:30 pm

Heath Ledger as "The Joker" in the upcoming Batman movie, which is now in post-production:

At the Venice Film Festival 3 months ago:

With then-fiancee Michelle Williams at the 2006 Oscars