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Medical examiner says Ledger died of accidental overdose

Heath Ledger's father said his son's death by accidental overdose will be an enduring agony for the family and should serve as a warning to others not to mix prescription drugs.

The New York City medical examiner announced on Wednesday that the 28-year-old Brokeback Mountain star died from the effects of taking six types of painkillers and sedatives. His body was found on Jan. 22 in his Manhattan apartment.

Ledger's premature death promoted outpourings of grief from New York to Hollywood to his hometown of Perth, a small and remote city on the verge of the Outback in Australia's southwest.

Family members returned home from the US this week and were reportedly planning a private service to lay Ledger to rest. His former girlfriend, Michelle Williams, and the couple's two-year-old daughter Matilda arrived on Wednesday to attend the ceremony, News Ltd newspapers said.

The West Australian newspaper reported yesterday that the family was hoping to hold a wake tomorrow at a colonial-style waterfront restaurant at Cottesloe Beach, a resort village south of Perth that was a favorite spot of the actor's.

Kim Ledger, the actor's father, said in a statement released on Wednesday that the family was humbled to be "among millions of people worldwide who may have suffered the tragic loss of a child.''

"Few can understand the hollow, wrenching and enduring agony parents silently suffer when a child predeceases them," he said.

He said the toxicology results should "put an end to speculation'' about the cause of death.

"While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy," he said. "Heath's accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage."

Family members attended a memorial ceremony in Los Angeles last weekend, but the funeral arrangements have been kept a closely guarded secret.

Among those reportedly due to attend are Ledger's Brokeback Mountain co-star Jake Gylenhaal and a former girlfriend, Australian model Gemma Ward.

Two bouquets of red orchids were delivered yesterday to the Perth home of Ledger's mother, Sally Ledger-Bell, where relatives have been keeping a low profile since their return from the US.
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