Healer Deepak Chopra: ‘Heath Ledger was depressed’

Healer Deepak Chopra has recalled his last conversation with actor Heath Ledger - and said he was "depressed".

The guru and writer spoke to the Brokeback Mountain star the day before he died, he told a US magazine.

He said Ledger sounded tired and emotional - and mentioned that he had not seen his two-year-old daughter Matilda for some time, Chopra claimed.

He said: "He was a little depressed about not having seen his daughter.

"It was like, 'I'm missing my girl. '

"He hadn't seen her [Matilda] over the holidays, he mentioned that."

Ledger was found dead in the bed of his New York apartment last Tuesday. The cause of death is still being investigated.

Chopra was with mutual friend, Shekhar Kapur, who directed Ledger in 2002 film, The Four Feathers, when he spoke to him.

Ledger also admitted he was having trouble sleeping, Chopra said. "He's a very, very ambitious actor and hard-working guy," he said.

"He was still high from the experience [of filming in London] and he hadn't come down. He was exhausted."

Ledger had been filming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus in the UK city immediately prior to his death.

Indian-born Chopra, 51, told America's People mgazine that Ledger planned to meet him and Kapur for dinner the following day. He even tried to schedule a massage for Ledger at New York's Chopra Center on the day of his death, he said.

Chopra also said he heard about Ledger's death via text message - leaving him to break the news to Kapur.

He recalled: "I had to sit him down and say, 'I'm sorry to tell you this, but we're not going to be having dinner with Heath. He's dead.'"

He added: "Shekhar is totally devastated.

"[Heath] was always questioning about the meaning of existence.

"He'd always bring up existential dilemmas and conundrums Is there a higher consciousness? What's the meaning of existence?"

The the best-selling author thinks it's unlikely Ledger could have taken his own life. He said: "He was connected to life and joy. Joy is the word."

By Owen Williams, Jan 29 2008 © Copyright 2008 - Showbiz Spy