Sad
I'm sure by now everyone has heard the news that Heath Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment, of an apparent accidental prescription drugs overdose, on Tuesday this week.
I've been trying to process this information in my head all week. I quite liked Heath Ledger and his movies, what I've seen. He was an incredibly talented actor, with so much more potential to be unleashed. Now we'll never know what he would have done with the rest of his life. Dead at such a young age of 28. Way too early.
His death makes me remember other talents taken from us too young, like River Phoenix, and Kurt Cobain. Both incredibly talented, and unfortunately very messed up young men.
Heath doesn't seem to fit the mould of drug overdose victim.
Heath was different. Apparently not a drugged out spoiled celebrity, but just a bloke having a difficult time trying to sleep on a regular basis. The role of The Joker wreaked havoc with his psyche and he hasn't slept well for quite some time. I can totally understand the desperate need to get some sleep, and the possibility of overdose is immense. If you take one, and it doesn't work, so you take another, and still it doesn't work so you take something else, and then you can't remember how many you've taken. When you finally fall asleep, it may be for the last time. Did he know it was happening? Or did he just fall asleep and that was it?
Reports are confilicting. I've read both that he was found ON his bed, and that he was found on the floor at the foot of his bed. His housekeeper said he was in bed and snoring at about 1pm. When his masseuse arrived at 2:45 they were unable to wake him. So sometime between 1 and 2:45 he died.
I feel very bad for his family, including his ex-fiancee Michelle Williams, and their daughter Matilda. They were in Europe when he died, and they had to fly back to New York for his funeral. Poor Matilda is only 2 years old. Her daddy is dead. Heath's parents and sister live in Perth, Australia and had to make that long trip to New York to get his body. I think he's being buried in Australia...I just can't imagine that trip.
Some people are probably sitting and thinking why the hell would anyone mourn for someone they have never even met? I've certainly never met Heath, but I've enjoyed his movies, and I will miss his talent. He'll be forever 28, just as James Dean will forever be 25, and River Phoenix will forever be 23. The world is a bleaker place without them brightening our movie and TV screens in my opinion. The last completed movie we'll see of Heath Ledger's is The Dark Knight, in which he plays the Joker. It'll be difficult to watch, I'm sure.
I've only got a couple of his movies that I own on DVD. A Knight's Tale, and The Brothers Grimm. I've seen a few others as well though, Brokeback Mountain, Ned Kelly, The Four Feathers, The Order, 10 Things I Hate About You. Maybe I'll go rent a couple today. I haven't seen Candy or Cassanova yet.
Sleep well Heathcliff Anderw Ledger. Speedy journey to the other side.