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By Cher Tippetts On January 23, 2008

Heath Ledger Battled Insomnia & Depression?

Speculation continues over the actor's tragic death...

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Heath Ledger Battled Insomnia & Depression?
Photo: WENN

More has emerged concerning the circumstances surrounding Heath Ledger’s tragic death aged just 28.

A U.S. website is reporting that three bottles of prescription pills were found in Ledger’s New York appartment at the time of his death.

According to PageSix, these included antidepressants and the sleeping aid, Ambien.

The Brokeback Mountain actor, who was found dead of an apparent overdose yesterday, had been open about having difficulty sleeping.

In an interview published just two months ago, Ledger admitted being "stressed" during the shooting of the upcoming Batman movie, The Dark Knight, in which he plays the Joker.

“Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,” he told the New York Times. “I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.”

Ledger told the publication how he took an Ambien one night, which failed to work:

“He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing.”

A friend of Ledger's claims that the 28-year-old was also battling depression.

"I was hearing that he was depressed," actor Jonathan Zarin tells PageSix. "I'm sure he must have been in a really bad place. I'd been hearing that for a while."

When asked about the rumors that Ledger had a drug problem, Zarin responded, "Everyone in Hollywood experiments with drugs."

Zarin added: "He was an inspiration to me as an actor. He gave me really good advice on acting. We'd go drinking together and we'd have a really good time."

Tags : Heath Ledger

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