On January 22, 2008, the cinematic world grinded to a halt with the news that the supremely talented Heath Ledger had passed away at the age of 28. His legacy lives on in his films, but the story behind his passing is still shocking to this day.

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Ledger's body was found in his apartment on Jan. 22 after a whirlwind day of rumors and misinformation. The overall shock of how a star so young and gifted could be gone was an overriding theme.

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The scene outside of Ledger's apartment became a crush of press, paparazzi and police, seen here wheeling the actor's body into a vehicle. The coroner reported that Ledger died of an accidental overdose "by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine."

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Ledger and his girlfriend, actress Michelle Williams, had their daughter Matilda in October of 2005. Despite the fact that the couple split, they remained close friends for Matilda's sake.

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The native Australian was discovered by his masseuse after she arrived for an appointment. Upon finding him unresponsive in his bedroom, she proceeded to call the actor's friend, Mary-Kate Olsen, three times before dialing 911. Tributes soon piled up outside his apartment building. Here, a makeshift memorial outside of his apartment is seen.

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The actor was laid to rest in his native Australia on Feb. 9. Michelle Williams, left, and Kate Ledger arrive at the memorial service for the actor. Matilda, Williams and Ledger's 2-year-old daughter, was not there.

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A group of mourners in various stages of dress ran into the water, including Ledger's sister, Kate, who got a hug from a friend. Ledger's father watched from the balcony of the tea house and shouted, "Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!" while giving the spectacle two thumbs up.

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Williams was walked into the ocean by a friend, too, and emerged from the water smiling. Ledger's family and friends watched the sunset on Cottesloe Beach. "It's exactly what Heath would have wanted," one mourner told PEOPLE magazine.

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Williams and Naomi Watts, who dated the actor (left), sat down together for Interview magazine to discuss the life and death of Heath Ledger. He "just had too much energy," says Williams, while Watts says, "His acting was just so touching, so connected in truth."

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Born April 4, 1979, Heathcliff Andrew Ledger grew up in Perth, Australia. His big break in America came in 1999 as a mysterious high school student in '10 Things I Hate About You,' pictured. His storied career surged in the two years before his death.

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In her first statement after Heath's death, Michelle Williams was quite accurate when she called their daughter Matilda (seen here in August 2008) "the spitting image of her father." Williams went on to say her heart was "broken," but together she and Heath created "the most tender-hearted, high-spirited, beautiful little girl."

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In the same statement, Williams said: "All that I can cling to is his presence inside her that reveals itself every day. His family and I watch Matilda as she whispers to trees, hugs animals, and takes steps two at a time, and we know that he is with us still."

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Michelle and Matilda are seen here in New York City in September 2008.

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Williams and Matilda continue to live in New York, where they've lived since Matilda was born.

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Speaking to Newsday in November, Williams opened up about how she's handled Heath's death. "I just wake up each day in a slightly different place-grief is like a moving river, so that's what I mean by 'it's always changing'."

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In the Newsday interview, Williams teared up before saying: "It's a strange thing to say because I'm at heart an optimistic person, but I would say in some ways it just gets worse. It's just that the more time that passes, the more you miss someone. In some ways it gets worse. That's what I would say."

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In an Interview magazine article, Williams said that Heath "had uncontrollable energy. He buzzed ... His mind was turning, turning, turning -- always turning."

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