Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Dark Knight Heath Ledger's Final Piece
An extraordinary gifted actor died yesterday, apparently from an overdose of legal drugs.
Unlike the passing of Michael Hutchence, this seems less self inflicted. Tragic.
Heath played edgy roles. My favorite is "Monster's Ball."
It hasn't registered yet, that over the counter, legal, drugs are dangerous. People who play with addiction (which Heath was not accused of) run the increased risk of death through the legal drugs as well.
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Heath Ledger found dead: It wasn't suicide, says family
from news.com.au
Heath Ledger has been found dead from an apparent drug overdose in a New York apartment.
Ledger, an Academy Award nominee, was found naked and unconscious in bed at the apartment in the trendy Manhattan area of SoHo by a housekeeper at 3.35pm (7.35am AEDT).
Prescription pills were found strewn near his body with police investigating the possibility of an overdose.
His family grieving in Perth today said his death was accidental.
"We, Heath's family can confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda," Ledger's father Kim said.
"He was found peacefully asleep in his New York apartment by his housekeeper. He was down to earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving, unselfish, individual (and) extremely inspirational to many."
Mr Ledger has gathered with Ledger's mother Sally and sister Kate in the southern Perth suburb of Applecross.
He said the family was grateful for the kind thoughts they were getting from around the world but wanted to grieve in private.
"We would like to thank our friends and everyone around the world for their well wishes and kind thoughts at this time," Mr Ledger said.
"Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life but few had the pleasure of truly knowing him.
"Please now respect our family's need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately."
The New York Post reported bottles of Diazepam and Alprazolam, both anti-anxiety drugs, were found in the house. Ledger said in an interview last year that he had been taking sleeping pills to combat insomnia.
Earlier, celebrity website TMZ.com reported the actor's family saying olice had concluded the death was accidental. The site has also reported he was recently suffering from pneumonia.
New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said: "We are investigating the possibility of an overdose."
The actor's former partner, American actor Michelle Williams, with whom Ledger had a daughter, Matilda Ledger, was "devastated" by his death and was flying to New York, TMZ said.
Ledger and Williams separated in September last year.
His death has shocked Hollywood, with stars Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Aidan Young expressing their sorrow at his death. (More)
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said: "It is tragic that we have lost one of our nation's finest actors in the prime of his life." (More)
The New York Times reported that a masseuse arrived at the apartment and was let in the door by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of Ledger's bedroom.
When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom door and found Ledger unconscious.
They attempted to wake him, and when they couldn't they called 911.
When paramedics responded, the actor was in full cardiac arrest. They attempted to perform CPR on him but were unsuccessful.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said they did not suspect foul play.
Calls by the NY Times to Mara Buxbaum, a publicist for Ledger, and Steve Alexander, the actor’s agent, were not immediately returned.
Ledger plays the Joker in the upcoming Batman film The Dark Knight.
Ledger is best known for his groundbreaking role as Ennis in Brokeback Mountain, for which he was nominated as best lead actor for his role as a gay cowboy.
The award went to Philip Seymour Hoffman for his role as Truman Capote.
Ledger played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in Monster's Ball and had starring roles in A Knight's Tale and The Patriot.
Ledger grew up in Perth and began doing amateur theater at age 10.
At 16, he moved to Sydney to pursue an acting career, quickly landing TV movie roles and guest spots on Australian television.
After several independent films and a starring role in the short-lived Fox TV series Roar, Ledger moved to Los Angeles and co-starred in 10 Things I Hate About You, a teen comedy reworking of The Taming of the Shrew.
Offers for other teen films came his way, but Ledger turned them down, preferring to remain idle than sign on for projects he did not like.
"It wasn't a hard decision for me," Ledger told The Associated Press in 2001.
"It was hard for everyone else around me to understand. Agents were like, 'You're crazy,' my parents were like, 'Come on, you have to eat'."
His latest role was in I'm Not There, in which he played one of the many incarnations of singer Bob Dylan - as did Cate Blanchett, whose performance in that film earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
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