Taiwanese director Ang Lee (
Ledger costarred with Jake Gyllenhaal in Lee's Oscar-winning movie Brokeback Mountain.
He played Ennis Del Mar in the story about two lonely ranch hands who carried on a secret love affair.
"Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life. He brought to the role of Ennis more than any of us could have imagined -- a thirst for life, for love, and for truth, and a vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him. His death is heartbreaking," Lee said in an e-mail.
Ledger's performance in Brokeback Mountain earned him a best actor Oscar nomination. Lee won the best director award for the film.
Sleeping pills
The 28-year-old actor was found dead on Tuesday by his housekeeper and masseuse in New York City -- lying naked and face-down at the foot of his bed, with prescription sleeping pills nearby, police said.
The cause of his death will not be known for several days after a preliminary autopsy was inconclusive, authorities said.
Six different types of prescription drugs were found in Ledger's apartment.
They included anti-anxiety medications and an antihistamine, said two law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the investigation is still in train.
A rolled-up US$20 bill was also found on the floor near the actor's bed, but lab tests detected no traces of drug residue, officials said on Wednesday.
Police also said that no illegal drugs were found in Ledger's apartment.
Police said Ledger probably died on Tuesday between 1pm and 2:45pm.
At 1pm, the housekeeper went into his bedroom to change a light bulb, saw him sleeping and heard him snoring.
At 2:45pm, the massage therapist showed up for Ledger's appointment, knocked on his door and got no answer. She later noticed Ledger was unconscious and called for help.
`Dark Knight'
Playing the Joker in the upcoming Batman movie The Dark Knight may be Ledger's final finished performance.
He said in a November interview that his roles in Dark Knight and I'm Not There took a toll.
"Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night," Ledger told the New York Times. "I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."
A day after Ledger's death, at least six TV satellite trucks were parked on the block or around the corner from his Manhattan apartment, with a stream of TV reporters doing their standup coverage.
There were bouquets, letters and candles piled in front of the building.
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
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Air and rail traffic around Taiwan were disrupted today while power cuts occurred across the country as Typhoon Kong-rey, predicted to make landfall in eastern Taiwan this afternoon, continued edging closer to the country. A total of 241 passenger and cargo flights departing from or arriving at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport were canceled today due to the typhoon, Taoyuan International Airport Corp said. As of 9:30am, 109 inbound flights, 103 outbound flights and 29 cargo flights had been canceled, the company said. Taiwan Railway Corp also canceled all express trains on its Western Trunk Line, Eastern Trunk Line, South-Link Line and attached branches
Typhoon Kong-rey is forecast to make landfall in eastern Taiwan this afternoon and would move out to sea sometime overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 9am today, Kong-rey's outer rim was covering most of Taiwan except for the north. The storm's center was 110km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost tip, and moving northwest at 28kph. It was carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of 184kph, and gusts of up to 227kph, the CWA said. At a news conference this morning, CWA forecaster Chu Mei-lin (朱美霖) said Kong-rey is moving "extremely fast," and is expected to make landfall between
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