Australian actor Heath Ledger's death was a tragic, untimely accident, his grieving family says.
The 28-year-old former Oscar nominee was found dead in his bed in his Manhattan apartment this morning (AEDT) and police have said sleeping pills were discovered near his body.
Ledger's parents Kim and Sally and sister Kate told reporters outside his mother's home in Perth that his death was a terrible accident.
"We, Heath's family, can confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda," his father said, reading from a brief prepared statement.
"He was found peacefully asleep in his New York apartment by his housekeeper at 3.30pm US time (0730 AEDT)."
The family gathered at the home in suburban Attadale after news broke of Ledger's death early this morning.
It's believed they learned of his death on radio.
Mr Ledger thanked everyone for their kind thoughts but said they wanted to be left to grieve in private.
"We would like to thank our friends and everyone around the world for their well wishes and kind thoughts at this time," Mr Ledger said.
"Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life that few had the pleasure of truly knowing him.
"Please now respect our family's need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately."
Earlier, a man, believed to be Ledger's stepfather, told reporters the family was "cut up" by the shocking death.
People have begun leaving flowers and cards at the family's house.
Neighbours were reluctant to talk but one teenage girl said Ledger had been in and out of his mother's house over the summer.
The actor spent much of December and January in Perth with his family and told friends he was grateful to the people of Perth and to local media outlets for leaving him alone to be himself on his holiday.
His family described him as a down to earth, generous and life-loving man.
"He was down to earth, generous, kind hearted, life-loving unselfish individual who was extremely inspirational to many," Mr Ledger said.
Heath Ledger's former partner, American actor Michelle Williams, with whom Ledger had a two-year-old daughter, Matilda Rose, was "devastated" by his death, TMZ reported.
The site said she had boarded a plane to New York.
TMZ also reported that Ledger was sick with pneumonia when he died in New York on Tuesday.
Sleeping pills were "found around the body" of Australian actor Heath Ledger, New York police confirmed.
"There were prescription pills found around the body," Lieutenant John Grimpel, of the New York Police Department, said.
"I believe they were sleeping pills."
He confirmed the pills were in Ledger's name.
Ledger was found naked and unconscious in the bedroom of his $US23,000 a month rented apartment in Soho district by his housekeeper. Police earlier said there was no obvious indication of suicide.
Grimpel said he had no evidence at this stage to support reports that Ledger had been suffering from pneumonia.
"I just heard about that now," he said.
"I have no idea about pneumonia."
Grimpel said it was believed the housekeeper had been in the apartment from at least midday. Police were alerted at about 3.30pm (0730 AEDT).
It was not until a masseuse arrived at the apartment to give Ledger a scheduled massage that it was discovered Ledger was unconscious.
"Apparently he had a massage appointment," Grimpel said.
"The housekeeper went to get him and that's when the housekeeper found him unconscious.
"When she went to wake him up for his appointment, he was unresponsive."
Grimpel said he was unsure whether the housekeeper resided at the three-bedroom loft apartment or only worked there during the day.
"I don't know if she lives there or stays there, but she was in there from at least noon onwards," Grimpel said.
When the police and ambulance officers arrived, Ledger could not be revived.
"The police department responded to his apartment at 3.30pm this afternoon," Grimpel said.
"They found a white male unconscious in his bedroom.
"He was pronounced DOA (dead on arrival) at the scene by EMS (ambulance officers) and he was removed to the Medical Examiners Office.
"The medical examiner will conduct an autopsy and will determine the cause of death. He'll probably do that sometime tomorrow."
In a New York Times interview in November, Ledger said he was taking sleeping pills after completing I'm Not There, in which he played one of the many incarnations of singer Bob Dylan.
He said that he "stressed out a little too much" during the Dylan film, and had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker in the Batman movie, whom he called a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy".
"Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night," Ledger told the NY Times.
"I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."
He said he took two Ambien pills, which only worked for an hour, the paper said.
Ledger's publicist Mara Buxbaum appealed for the media not to speculate on how Ledger died.
"We are all deeply saddened and shocked by this accident," Ledger's publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said in a statement.
"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 speculation until the facts are known."
The medical examiner's office planned an autopsy on Wednesday, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.
NYPD Detectives and the Medical Examiner would conduct a thorough investigation, but Ledger's death is not believed to be suspicious.
"As of right now there does not appear to be any criminality at all," the spokeswoman said.
The news has sent shockwaves around the world.
Ledger was born in Perth on April 4, 1979 to Sally Ledger Bell and her then husband, Kim Ledger.
The blond heartthrob first came to prominence by acting as a homosexual athlete in little-known Australian television series, Sweat, in 1996.
A 19-year-old Ledger left Sydney for Hollywood, where his standout talent was spotted by Mel Gibson when auditioning 500 actors for the role of his son in The Patriot. The casting was Ledger's first big-time break and led to his leading role in A Knight's Tale.
Ledger, who was nominated for a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of a gay cowboy in the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain, had separated from his former fiancee Michelle Williams in September.
The pair, who met on the set of the Ang Lee-directed drama, were the parents of Matilda but split last year.
Lee had hailed Ledger's performance as a miracle of acting, reminiscent of a young Marlon Brando.
Ledger lost the Oscar for best actor in 2006 to Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
Before settling down with Williams, Ledger had relationships with actresses Heather Graham and Naomi Watts.
Michelle Williams' father, prominent US stock trader Larry Williams, remains in Sydney after being arrested here in March 2006 on tax evasion charges.
One of Ledger's most critically-acclaimed roles was as a heroin addict in the 2006 Australian movie Candy, in which he starred with Australian Abbie Cornish.
This month, Ledger had been working on his latest movie, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, directed by Terry Gilliam, which was due to be released next year.
He also portrayed The Joker in a Batman movie called Dark Knight to be released later this year.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has described as a tragedy the loss of the 28-year-old actor.
"It was with great sadness that I have learned of the passing of Heath Ledger," he said.
"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."
Mr Rudd said the nation's thoughts were with Ledger's family and close friends, especially his two-year-old daughter Matilda.
At 10.35am (AEDT), Ledger's body was removed from his New York apartment and wheeled into the back of a medical examiner's van.
A huge crowd of news photographers gathered outside the apartment in the Soho building lit up the scene with flashes as authorities wheeled his body on a trolley from the complex into the van.