Heath in coke den

Shocking pictures reveal the sordid secret world of tragic star Ledger

Exclusive By Georgina Dickinson

THESE shock pictures show tragic movie star Heath Ledger revelling in a debauched drugs party where he snorted line after line of deadly cocaine.

Just 12 days after the Brokeback Mountain actor's sudden death the News of the World reveals the first PROOF his life had spun out of control in a lethal fog of booze and coke.

Watch the shocking video of Heath Ledger at cocaine party

These images are from an exclusive video showing a spaced-out Heath twitching and fidgeting as the deadly white powder takes a grip on his body.

And you can witness every moment of the doomed young legend's secret shame on this website.

A source said: "This video is dynamite. There's Heath frittering away the night in a room of complete strangers.

"His lover and their baby are asleep in a hotel room nearby but still Heath just can't resist the lure of cocaine. So instead of enjoying his newfound role as a dad he spends hours with a bunch of cokehead nobodies getting off his head on drugs."

The footage was recorded at Los Angeles' famed Chateau Marmont Hotel where actor John Belushi died of a drug overdose in 1982.

Australian Heath, 28, was staying there with actress girlfriend Michelle Williams, 27, and three-month-old Matilda after the Screen Actors Guild Awards two years ago.

After buddying up with a random bunch of guests at the hotel bar Heath and his new pals knocked back bottles of beer before switching in the early hours to one of the £1,500-a-night bungalows for a THREE-HOUR drug binge.

Our video clearly shows the star full face and dressed in black V-necked jumper with matching trousers.

Our witness said: "Heath didn't even know these people but his craving for drugs was so strong he willingly followed them back to their room because he knew the stuff would be there.

"Being so famous you'd think he'd have been very careful about who he did drugs with—but that night he couldn't have cared less. He just wanted his next fix."

For one sad moment Heath has an attack of conscience and can be plainly heard on the video soundtrack admitting:

"I'm going to be in serious sh** with my girlfriend...we had our baby three months ago and I'm not supposed to be here."

But he decides to stay and get even further off his head. As the aimless chat goes on, guests' heads constantly dive down on to the coffee table, hoovering cocaine up their nostrils.

Heath is caught fiddling with his telltale rolled-up paper tube.

The inside source said: "Heath and the rest set about drinking the mini-bar dry while sniffing up line after line of coke. In between taking his turn at the drugs Heath talked about his baby and knew he should be with his family upstairs. But he couldn't help himself.

"The cocaine was all piled up there in front of him. And he wasn't going to give in until it had run out."

As the coke takes hold of Heath, his familiar features suddenly contort in bizarre twitches and ticks.

Our footage also has the first evidence to suggest the star had been secretly battling with drugs for YEARS.

With vacant eyes, and necking beer from a bottle, he admits: "I used to smoke five joints a day." Heath also talks about his daughter, now two. "She's amazing," he says. "We called her Matilda Rose. It's an old-school name."

And he adds: "I started a record company with Ben Harper (the folk rock star) and when she was born he wrote a lullaby for her. It was pretty cool."

Our witness said: "When the coke eventually dried up Heath stumbled back to his own room.

"He was in a complete state and totally high on drugs. Michelle must have been horrified."

Heath was found dead on January 22—lying face down, naked and surrounded by bottles of prescription painkillers and sleeping tablets in the bedroom of his New York apartment.

Pals said he had grown increasingly depressed following his split from Michelle in September last year.

It is believed Michelle ended their relationship after growing tired of his hard partying ways.

Police say there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Heath's death and forensic reports, revealing exactly what drugs were in the star's bloodstream, are expected next week.

But in a chilling echo of our haunting video, reports from the death scene have suggested a rolled-up banknote, often used by addicts to snort cocaine, was also discovered alongside his body.

* The News of the World has published the Heath Ledger video because we believe it reveals important new information about the circumstances surrounding his tragic death. The video also exposes the dangers of illegal drugs and therefore acts as a warning to others.