Heath Ledger: 1979 – 2008
01/24/08 | General, Movies | 6 Comments
As I’m sure you have all heard, actor Heath Ledger was found dead this past Tuesday at the age of 28.
Instead of going through the motions of saying how brilliant of an actor he was (which is true), or saying how shocked I am that he’s really dead (which I am), I’m going to talk a little about why people are reacting so passionately about the whole situation.
There was a comment to a blog post talking about Heath’s death that read something like this:
“I tried to kill myself and nobody noticed. Why does anyone care about him?”
You’d think it was about America’s obsession with celebrity, to think that there was a bump in their picture perfect lives. But you know what? I don’t agree at all.
I could really care less about what they write about in gossip magazines/websites. Don’t get me wrong, I love to read about it, but I don’t take it to heart where that person’s work is involved. Tom Cruise is a brilliant actor, and Britney Spears is an amazing entertainer (yes, don’t lie… you, too, sing along to her in your car).
When you think about it, we spend a lot of time with our favorite artists—be them actors, musicians or writers—and invest so much of our emotions in them, that sometimes we feel that we know them on a personal level. No, you’re not the only one; it happens to all of us. When something like this happens, this kind of tragic death, we can’t help but feel personally connected to the person, and so we feel like we’ve lost someone close to us.
One of my friends was really happy to find out that The Dark Knight was still going to come out, but immediately felt guilty for thinking that in the wake of Heath’s death. I have to admit that that was one of my first thoughts as well.
But I don’t feel sorry for thinking it.
I actually think it’s a tribute to his memory and his legacy as an actor for us to have those kinds of thoughts. Keep thinking them. Is it so wrong that we want just that last little piece of our favorite artists?
Think of the singer Selena, comedian Mitch Hedberg, and actress Marilyn Monroe… wouldn’t you have liked just one more song, one more joke, or one more movie? As much as we would like these people to live forever, that’s just a wild dream… everyone dies, but we always hope it’s when they’re old and have had full use of their careers and their lives. Yet, when someone dies even before their prime, that’s when it hurts the most.
So, yes, people are upset that Heath Ledger died, and they have every right to be. It really is a tragic loss, and we’d be equally as emotional were it any of our other favorite artists.
I know I said I wouldn’t talk about how amazing an actor Heath was, but I really am truly saddened by his death. He hadn’t even scratched the surface of his potential, and Hollywood has been struck a serious blow to their talent pool… It’s rare that you find someone with genuine talent without all of the modern day superficiality attached to them.
My well wishes go out to his family, especially Michelle Williams and their 2-year-old daughter Matilda, who will never get to know her father.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
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Comment by liz :: Jan 24, 2008
Heath Ledger’s death certainly had an impact because of the great talent that Hollywood just lost. But I think that most of the buzz surrounding his death stems from our shock at losing an A-lister. Think about it: he was the first great celebrity of our age to die. We grew up with him. Our support brought him from his beginnings in 10 Things I Hate About you to the Patriot to Brokeback. We related to him because he was from our generation and made movies FOR our generation. We basically gave him his fame, and then all of the sudden, he’s dead.
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Comment by Dawn :: Jan 25, 2008
I’m old enough to remember the day I heard River Phoenix had died to a drug overdose and I still remember the confusion I felt that day (likely because I was too young to comprehend “drug overdose"). Heath struck me as someone who had it all pulled together...but maybe that is just part of being a good actor. He will be missed.
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Comment by Jill :: Jan 25, 2008
this was very sad to hear about.
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Comment by Kevin :: Jan 26, 2008
The news of Heath dying made me quite upset for the very reasons you listed in your blog. You described it very well. I also was happy to hear his last film was still coming out.
From what I have heard, he got “trapped” inside his character, “Joker” from the Dark Knight, and he had trouble sleeping. He also was suffering from depression because of the split in his relationship and he was not able to spend as much time with his daughter as he wished to. I don’t know if this is fact, but this is what I have heard, and saw on the “Insider.” Either way, he was a fabulous actor, and he will most definitely be missed.
You also hit the point about his daughter never being with her father again. That brings me to tears.
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Comment by Trée :: Jan 27, 2008
I suppose his death defines tragedy. A life with fifty to sixty more years to blossom and flower has been plucked from our lives without warning, without recourse; and there ain’t no replanting it. The shock for us, and without doubt to his family, is the utter stark unerring permanence of death--made all the more shocking when that death occurs to someone out of turn. So we reflect on our own lives and we wonder what we will do with the day we have that Heath does not.
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I was very surprised by the news of Heath’s death. I so loved him ever since 10 Things I Hate About You. I’m not excited to see his new movie. I don’t think Heath (with his method of acting) should have ever taken that role. I’m sure more will come out about it in the coming weeks, but it was such an emotionally trying role for him to play. I don’t think he was able to fully get himself out of it. I don’t know...I’m not going to talk like I am some specialist on him. I just noticed a dramatic change in his persona after he took that role and other people close to him mentioned in interviews (some even before his death) that they noticed it too.
It’s really sad. He’ll be missed by many.