Fuck. This is shitty news. Right on the heels of several excellent performances, and leading into his eagerly-anticipated turn in the new Batman flick, Heath Ledger has been found dead in a New York apartment.

The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment building at 421 Broome Street in SoHo, according to the New York City police. Mr. Ledger was 28.

At 3:31 p.m., a masseuse arrived at Apartment 5A in the building for an appointment with Mr. Ledger, the police said. The masseuse was let in to the home by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of Mr. Ledger’s bedroom. When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Mr. Ledger unconscious. They shook him, but he did not respond. They immediately called the authorities. The police said they did not suspect foul play and said they found pills near body.

What few details there are can be found at the Times.

This is just lousy. I mean, this sort of thing happens all the time, and it’s gotten to the point where it’s simply not surprising—but Ledger’s death is genuinely saddening, if only because I can’t help but think that the guy’s best work was ahead of him. Ledger’s been one of my favorite actors since his charismatic turn in 2005’s Lords of Dogtown, and once you factor in Brokeback and I’m Not There… well, shit.

Ledger’s current project was another Terry Gilliam film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

UPDATE. More details have emerged at the Times, including the news that the apartment Ledger was found in was owned by Mary-Kate Olsen (wha?), and that police believe the available evidence implies Ledger’s death was a suicide.