
Jan 24, 2008 11:05 am US/Central
Masseuse Called Mary-Kate Olsen Before 911
Masseuse Who Found Heath Ledger Made Calls To Mary-Kate Olsen Before Dialing 911
NEW YORK (CBS News) ―
Police said that Heath Ledger's masseuse, Diana Lee Wolozin, spent nine
minutes making three calls to actress Mary-Kate Olsen before she dialed
authorities for help. She called the "Full House" actress a fourth time
after paramedics arrived. Fearing a "media circus," Wolozin, who
discovered the body lying naked and face-down on his bed on Tuesday,
picked up the actor's cell phone and dialed Olsen, whose phone number
was programmed into Ledger's phone, for advice.
"Heath is unconscious. I don't know what to do!" Wolozin said in her first call to Ms. Olsen, reports the New York Post.
Olsen said she would send over her private security. In the ensuing
moments, the masseuse made a second call to Olsen, saying, "I think he
may be dead. I'm calling 911," the Post reports. Paramedics - and
Olsen's security people - arrived minutes later.
Authorities are investigating whether or not Ledger was breathing
when the masseuse made the decision to call Olsen first, rather than
911, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Wallace.
Funeral arrangements for actor Heath Ledger have been completed and
his relatives were expected to arrive in New York on Friday, a funeral
home spokesman said.
George Amado, the general manager of the Frank E. Campbell funeral
home, refused to disclose further details, saying any additional
information would have to come from Ledger's manager.
"The family doesn't want us to give out any information," he said Thursday.
The 28-year-old actor's body was taken to the funeral home on
Manhattan's Upper East Side on Wednesday, a day after he was found dead
in his SoHo loft with bottles of prescription drugs nearby.
Police said Ledger probably died between 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m.
Tuesday. At 1 p.m., the housekeeper went into his bedroom to change a
light bulb, saw him sleeping and heard him snoring.
"I didn't think anything was wrong," the housekeeper, Teresa Solomon,
told the New York Post. She said she was "still shaking" and unable to
sleep a day after the actor's death.
Medical examiner's office spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said the
28-year-old actor's autopsy Wednesday was inconclusive and that
authorities would know more in about 10 days, when more tests are
expected to be complete.
There were six different types of prescription drugs in the room,
including pills to treat insomnia and anxiety, and an antihistamine,
according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of
anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
Medical examiner Dr. Michael Wellner told CBS'
The Early Show
that it isn't easy to overdose on a drug like Ambien, a drug prescribed
to treat insomnia. He says that it's unlikely Ledger died taking a few
extra pills above the recommended dosage by accident.
"Well, anyone who takes way more than what's prescribed is doing it
on purpose," says Wellner. "There are a number of pieces to the puzzle.
If we're only looking for one piece, we're unlikely to find a
solution."
"There are people who go a little bit over, and then there are
people who don't expect at all to have a toxic reaction, but mix
something that their body can't handle, and they tragically and
unexpectedly die," says Wellner. "So many possibilities."
A rolled-up 20-dollar bill was found on the floor near the bed, but
New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said lab tests found
nothing to indicate the bill had been used to snort drugs. Police also
said no illegal drugs were found in the apartment.
Lee Daniels, who produced the critically acclaimed 2001 movie
"Monster's Ball," in which Ledger starred, strongly disputed any notion
that Ledger had a drug problem.
"The definition of substance abuse is really up to one's
perspective," Daniels said. "I didn't see him as a drug addict. I saw
him as someone who enjoyed life. I know drug addicts - he was not a
drug addict."
The law enforcement officials said three of the drugs were prescribed in Europe. Ledger had recently been filming in London.
Ledger told The New York Times in November that working on the
films "The Dark Knight" and "I'm Not There" had been stressful, and
that he was struggling with sleeplessness and had taken the sleep aid
Ambien.
To many who saw Heath Ledger in the last months of his life, the
actor appeared to be happy, healthy and excited - "in a great place,"
in the words of one friend.
Which only made his sudden end feel more tragic.
Daniels also said the Australian-born actor was in great spirits when they saw each other a few months ago.
"He was in a good mood, he was in a great place ... he was excited about living in New York," Daniels said.
News of the death stunned family, fans and colleagues.
"We have fond and loving memories of a very loving, gentle trickster," his uncle Mike Ledger told
The Early Show.
"It was his vibrance and personality that really got people together.
And that certainly was a trait that he took later on in life into his
career."
"Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life," said
Ang Lee, who directed Ledger to an Oscar nomination in the 2005 film
"Brokeback Mountain." "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."
Fans left flowers and candles Wednesday outside Ledger's apartment
in Manhattan's tony SoHo neighborhood. Khaled Ali, 41, a stage manager
for a Broadway show, dropped off a candle at the apartment building on
his way to work, saying he and fellow cast members were devastated.
"I felt a connection with him as an actor, as a fellow in the
theater community," he said. "With 'Brokeback Mountain' he touched me
personally in telling the story of my community. It was very touching."
Intense roles became Ledger's trademark soon after he got his start
in such teen movies as "10 Things I Hate About You." He buried his
Australian accent and downplayed his leading-man looks as a sexually
confused cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," a drug addict in "Candy," and
an incarnation of Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There."
His role as the Joker in the upcoming Batman movie "The Dark Knight" may be his final finished performance.
Ledger split last year with Michelle Williams, who played his wife in "Brokeback." The two had a daughter, Matilda, now 2.
Mike Ledger told
The Early Show that being a father meant everything to the young actor.
"We know that Heath would have wanted to be with her forever," his uncle said.
Williams and Matilda returned to their Brooklyn home Wednesday
evening from Trollhattan, Sweden. The 27-year-old actress had been
there shooting scenes for the upcoming film "Mammoth," said Martin
Stromberg, a spokesman for film production company Memfis Film.
Stromberg said Williams had received the news of Ledger's death at her hotel late Tuesday night.
Streams of reporters and a thicket of satellite trucks on Wednesday
surrounded Ledger's Manhattan apartment, where some letters were piled
among well-wishers' bouquets and candles.
One handwritten note on plain white paper read:
"Heath, how could anyone hate 10 things about you. We couldn't find
one bad thing about you. God bless your soul, you're in our prayers."
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)