Since it popped into the news this morning, it’s been hard not to read endless amounts about the surprising death of Aussie actor Heath Ledger. i didn’t know anything about him personally of course, but he was a good actor in many roles, and showed a lot of promise for the future. Outside of Brokeback Mountain, really most of his best work was in some local movies, like Two Hands and Candy.
Not much else I can say here really, but I had to notice the media vultures out in force, the apartment swamped with cameras, the endless media attention to his final chapter. Ledger was notorious for hating the papparazi, but I guess they got the final word.
Hard to say what killed him at the moment — everyone was ready to say suicide this morning (except police), now it appears as if it may have been an accidental drug overdose. He was ill with pneumonia and taking sleeping pills. Apparently ones with some odd side effects. Coroner will know soon, but facts never stopped the media from guessing.
It always happens where you least expect it. River Phoenix was the poster child for clean living, as it went. Ledger probably didn’t kill himself, but this puts the papparazi’s Britne/Lindsay/Winehouse obsession in perspective. Read last week that AP have Britney Spears’ obituary already written, just in case. Bet they didn’t see this one coming.
I guess we have at least one more movie — Ledger is about to play The Joker in the new Batman movie, Dark Knight. Did look good, and now I imagine it will do even better.
No one can resist this story now.