There has been a lot of speculation in Heath Ledger’s death, with some saying that he must have overdosed because there were pills laying around. The police held a press conference yesterday to clear up a lot of the rumors about his sudden and tragic passing, and said that contrary to previous reports the pills weren’t strewn around his apartment and he just had bottled prescription medications, one of which was a sleep aid that is thought to be Ambien. Page Six says the pills were Ambien and antidepressants. A lot of people take those medications in combination with each other, including friends of mine, and there’s nothing inherently dangerous in those two commonly prescribed drugs. The NY Times clarifies the drugs that were found at the scene and says there were “sleeping pills — both prescription medication and nonprescription — on a night table.” [via US Weekly]

At this early stage we don’t know what drugs were there, we don’t know what drugs he took if any, and we don’t know if drugs even played a role in his death. That’s the job of the coroner’s office and the police department and isn’t the responsibility of the media, although it’s very tempting to try and understand how this senseless tragedy could have happened. Maybe he was depressed, but a lot of people go through bouts of depression. Who knows if these quotes from people who supposedly knew him are even accurate or if they’re just responding to the news of his death.

TMZ says that Ledger had pneumonia, but they give no source for that news. It could explain how he passed, but again we don’t know how they got that information so we can’t even begin to judge if it’s accurate. TMZ also claims to have spoken to a rep for Heath’s family, who says his death was accidental and that it is hurtful to hear speculation about suicide.

The autopsy should be completed today, but it will be some time before the tests come back and results are announced.

Best Week Ever urges the media to show restraint and not pick apart Heath’s life. TMZ streamed live video from outside his apartment when his body was taken out on a stretcher. The Huffington Post has some overheard conversations from people on the scene, and it kind of makes your heart lurch to hear the things that people were saying, including yelling “body body” when he was taken out on a stretcher.

This is a big story and it’s going to get near-constant coverage. My friend’s brother died at the age of 24 in a terrible car accident a couple of years ago. He left behind a wife and two young daughters. It’s like the world stops when someone you know has died unexpectedly. We saw so many of Heath’s movies and we gossiped about him, which did him no favors. He was a real person and more than just a celebrity, but to us he was someone we felt like we knew, and he will be missed.

I don’t know how I’m going to be able to cover any other stories today, but I will try. Let me know how you feel and if you want some other news. It just doesn’t seem that important now.

Update: The coroner has confirmed that Ledger’s autopsy revealed he had pneumonia at the time of his death, but says it’s not the definitive cause of his death, which remains undetermined.

Header image from ONTD.