I first heard this on the radio and was really surprised...apparently Heath Ledger died of a possible overdose on prescription sleeping pills this afternoon at the age of 28.

It just seems so random and is kind of surreal considering how excited I am to see him as the Joker in the upcoming Batman movie (which is already finished shooting).

Ledger as Joker

Ledger has a daughter, Matilda Rose, born in 2005 to his then-girlfriend, Michelle Williams, who played his on-screen wife, Alma, in "Brokeback Mountain." The couple have since separated.

"He was just so respected in the industry," said Kim Serafin, senior editor of In Touch Weekly. "It's just horribly tragic. He was just a fine actor and a good person, so this is horribly sad and very unexpected."

TMZ also has a developing story on this.