Actor HEATH LEDGER, 28, was found dead yesterday at a New York City residence. He was pronounced dead at 3:45 p.m. EST. The NYPD tell that the investigation is ongoing.

New York police tell that the Oscar-nominated actor was found by a housekeeper and a masseuse, who found him unclothed and unresponsive. Prescription sleeping pills that were prescribed to Heath were found in the house. Police said they wouldn’t call it a suicide, nor would they refer to where he was found as a “crime scene.”

Heathcliff Andrew Ledger was born in Perth, Australia on April 4, 1979. The young actor packed his bags and moved to Hollywood at age 19. His breakout role came in 1999, when he was cast in the teen comedy ‘10 Things I Hate About You.

Ledger began to gravitate more toward independent fare, including Lasse Hallstrom’s “Casanova” and Terry Gilliam’s “The Brothers Grimm,” both released in 2005. His 2006 film “Candy” now seems destined to have an especially haunting quality: In a particularly realistic performance, Ledger played a poet wrestling with a heroin addiction along with his girlfriend, played by Abbie Cornish.

He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in “Brokeback Mountain.” During filming, he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the film. Heath, a native Australian, has one daughter, MATILDA, 2, whom he had with his ex-girlfriend, actress Michelle Williams .