The Dark Knight actor Heath Ledger died some hours ago of a drug overdose in lower Manhattan. According to the IMDB, he was found at 3.31pm EST at the otherwise-empty apartment of the actress Mary-Kate Olsen. The BBC report that the 28-year old Australian actor is believed to have separated from partner Michelle Williams, the mother of his two-year old daughter, in September. Police have apparently reported no suspicious circumstances to Ledger's death.

Ledger rose to fame in 10 Things I Hate About You before going on to more mature work such as Brokeback Mountain and the role of a suicidal son in The Monster's Ball, and was widely acknowledged to be a very promising emergent talent in Hollywood.

Here at Geek we have been excited month after month by the remarkable marketing campaign for what will prove to be Ledger's final film, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, now in post-production with a July release date. Ledger's Joker looks to be a sinister and original creation powered by an actor of note, and we at Geek would like to say how sorry we are to have lost a good person tragically early.

Ledger's main contribution to the piece ended when principal photography wrapped earlier this month, and his work on the project is believed to be complete.