Heath Ledger found dead!

OMG, that is awful! He was only 28. I really liked him and he has that beautiful little girl So sad. He was found dead in his apartment in NYC.

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NEW YORK - A New York Police Department spokesman says the actor Heath Ledger has been found dead at a downtown Manhattan residence.

According to TMZ.com, Ledger, 28, was found dead in his bed in one of his residences in Soho by his housekeeper at 3:35 p.m. ET Tuesday.

The actor has a two-year-old daughter with former fiancee Michelle Williams. Ledger was set to play the Joker in the upcoming Batman film "The Dark Knight." He received an Academy Award nomination for his work in "Brokeback Mountain." 2008 MSNBC Interactive

What a heartbreaking tragedy. Only 28 years old and so talented.

What do you think is the reason? Depression, a mental break down?
He does not strike me as a druggie at all, but neither did Owen Wilson.

I heard that pills were found near his bed. Some who knew him are saying that his role as The Joker was very disturbing for him. He had trouble sleeping and started taking sleeping pills. Also, he did spend time in a rehab (in England I believe) but he said that was research for a role.

I was also shocked about Owen Wilson. I never saw any sign of problems with him.

When I look at Heath's beautiful face and into his eyes, I see sadness behind them.

He started show business really young and hit it big pretty early. I bet he was only 18-19. Maybe too early.

It does seem that a lot of people who achieve a lot of success at a young age have a lot of issues. Look at Brit, Lindsey, Micha Barton, and you can go way back to tons of child stars who lives ended up a mess.

Everyone's hoping it was an accident and not suicide. We'll see.

I just turned on L&O:CI and there was an episode with Brad Renfro which made me remember that he also died, I think this week. His was an OD. It's so crazy. It's like another generation dropping like flies from drugs.

Yes, I believe Brad was laid to rest today. Also very sad. I think Heath's was an accident. They found 4 types of medications. Sometimes people mix pills and just don't realize how lethal it can be. I feel terrible about this. I watch the movie "10 Things I Hate About You" every time it's on. He was just a beautiful man with the most adorable little "Mini Heath" for a daughter. I mean she is the spitting image of him. I read that Michelle is so distraught. How sad for all of them.

How could it really be an "accident"? With pills strewn around all over the place? I know people call it that when someone tries to kill themselves, but maybe did'nt plan on doing it and "just wanted to sleep" or whatever.

I guess the number of pills he took may give a more of an idea of what he was trying to do.

His photo on the MSN webpage is so haunting and makes me very sad. He was so beautiful and his eyes were so sad. They always were. That intensity and pain came through in his acting and was very powerful.

I do not think many people die of accidental sleeping pill overdoses.

People do die of accidental heroin and cocaine overdoses, or old fashioned barbituates combined with stinking drunk amounts of alcohol.

Regardless, I am more pissed off that Heath died than sad. I assume that has to do with all the real life death and dying going on in my life.

He was a wonderful actor. Even if he was suicidally depressed, I am moving far to the right on the issue. I want people who are that miserable to just commit themselves to a looney bin until they at least calm down a little, or even commit a relatively petty crime so they will get locked up in a jail for even a few weeks.

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Regardless, I am more pissed off that Heath died than sad. I assume that has to do with all the real life death and dying going on in my life.

He was a wonderful actor. Even if he was suicidally depressed, I am moving far to the right on the issue. I want people who are that miserable to just commit themselves to a looney bin until they at least calm down a little, or even commit a relatively petty crime so they will get locked up in a jail for even a few weeks.

I hear ya on wishing he had done anything else that would have been a cry for help instead of turning completely inward. Fraz, from an actor's point of veiw, how could he go from movie set to movie set, and other professional engagements put in extraordinary performances and not show some signs of being majorly depressed or losing it? I know he was a very talented actor, but how could he have completely hidden his despair? He seemed to be well liked in the acting community and respected too. Would'nt you think that the people that worked really closely with him or for him would have seen some signs of his declining mental health and tried to get him some help?

Really good actors come from another planet. They truly do. Some of the brilliant ones are happy enough, some are tortured. But ALL of them regard everything they do as some form of art, good or bad.

It isn't that they pretend to be happy, but even in person they make whatever they are going through into some form of art in front of others, maybe by being funny, maybe by being profoundly spiritual, maybe by just hiding out when not in character.

Actors (real ones) live in a parallel existence to their "real lives". Playing scenes of some sort all the times is what makes actors happy, and I don't necessarily mean being drama queens. Meryl Streep, a very healthy version of an actor, plays gracious, even though she really IS gracious.

Back in my divorcing days (and heyday of my acting career) people would always tell me how beautiful I looked when all I wanted to do was kill myself. I certainly had no sense of trying to cover up what was really going on, but I was desperate for any kind of connection that seemed normal, so i would get done up much more than usual and be very sweet and kind toward others. Being able to construct a pleasant interaction meant the world to me on the very worst days. Then i would go home and hope that did the trick to keep me going another day.

Dunno if what I just said makes any sense in the way I described it.


p.s. I am not even remotely in that depressive state anymore, thankfully.

Now I am just pissed.

Except that I get to play scenes that make me giggle for a long time with the two guys I work with at AIDS Project L.A., and this one security guard there who plays stern daddy to bad daughter with me. I get happier and giddier than anything else on this earth makes me.

I was very sad and shocked to hear about his death. My heart breaks for his family. We just saw the preview for the Dark Knight and he seems to give an awesome performance as the joker.

Fraz what you say is relevant. My sister and I just said yesterday HOw could someone so beautiful , talented and rich be sad? But I suppose they can. I hope it was an accident.

I am having flashbacks to the death of River Phoenix.

I read it in a news flash yesterday, and I think it's likely true: they think Heath Ledger is going to rise to James Dean status now. Because the fastest way to become an icon is to self-destruct.

This whole thing is very sad.

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HOw could someone so beautiful , talented and rich be sad?

Fame seems to really screw up a lot of people, and it doesn't make them all happy.

Frazzle wrote:

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Actors (real ones) live in a parallel existence to their "real lives". Playing scenes of some sort all the times is what makes actors happy, and I don't necessarily mean being drama queens. Meryl Streep, a very healthy version of an actor, plays gracious, even though she really IS gracious.

Back in my divorcing days (and heyday of my acting career) people would always tell me how beautiful I looked when all I wanted to do was kill myself. I certainly had no sense of trying to cover up what was really going on, but I was desperate for any kind of connection that seemed normal, so i would get done up much more than usual and be very sweet and kind toward others. Being able to construct a pleasant interaction meant the world to me on the very worst days. Then i would go home and hope that did the trick to keep me going another day.

Dunno if what I just said makes any sense in the way I described it.

You make absolute sense! I feel I have a better understanding now of what drives and tortures a "real" actor thanks to you.

Is it the high/addiction of performing in an alternate reality and not being able to control real life that eventually leaves many talented actors not able to connect and enjoy life when off the set?

It is a profound gift and in some ways a curse.

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Is it the high/addiction of performing in an alternate reality and not being able to control real life that eventually leaves many talented actors not able to connect and enjoy life when off the set?

Brilliantly put!

Brilliant, yet so sad But there are many wonderful actors who do seem to deal with things OK and have a good life. Tom Hanks comes to mind. Denzel Washington, Billy Crystal, John Travolta, and so many more seem happy, have had long marriages and children. It is such a shame more of them cannot find a better place.

Frazz, sounds like things were bad for you for awhile So glad you seem to have turned it around and that you are enjoying your work life now.

From all accounts I have read this morning Heath adored his little girl. I do not think this was suicide. I think it was an accidental overdose. I really don't think he would purposely leave her without her daddy. I read where a friend said he would have such a hard time sleeping that he would keep taking more pills to help him because one or two wouldn't help.

Abrahammy, it does feel like River all over again. I don't know if Heath can become the Icon that James Dean did. It's a different world now. Not sure the passing of any young star nowadays can have the effect James Dean did. There are just too many now. James Dean was just sooo different from anyone out there at the time. Also the causes of death have a different impact. We have become all too used too losing young stars to drugs. Sadly, the second I read of Heath's passing I just knew it would be drug related. Dean's violet death just had a different impact. I would be shocked if 60 years from now people are talking of Heath they way they do of Dean.

I thought I would put this beautiful picture in here to remind us of him in happier times! Gorgeous man.



I just watched a couple of lovely interviews with Heath talking about how much he loved being a dad and wanted to live a long time to be in her life for most of her life

firecracker wrote:

But there are many wonderful actors who do seem to deal with things OK and have a good life. Tom Hanks comes to mind. Denzel Washington, Billy Crystal, John Travolta, and so many more seem happy, have had long marriages and children. It is such a shame more of them cannot find a better place.

Yep several of them seem to. In reality, except for Tom Hanks, the rest of them are just as weird as as the more obviously troubled ones. I don't know TOm Hanks or anybody who knows him. The rest I do.

You can be plenty weird and still be in long long term relationships and have kids.

I know you can be weird and still have long relationships and kids. I meant that they seem to have been able to avoid serious drug problems, rehab stays, arrests for DUI or other illegal doings, lots of affairs that are well publicize, etc. I guess some are just weirder than others.

Travolta has a lot of problems. I don't know about the others.

abrahammy wrote:

Travolta has a lot of problems. I don't know about the others.

What are Travolta's problems? Do you mean because of his religion?

If you look at that list of people, you'll see all of them shun the whole "Hollywood" thing with the red carpets and the parties, etc. They come in, do their job, publicize their movie, and then you don't see them until the next project, for the most part. Travolta is a bit more in the public eye, but is not "Hollywood".

So, they may not be having problems, but also if they wind up having a problem, it might not be in the press so much, because they don't have photographers sitting outside their Hollywood Hills home.

The only way we heard about Heath is because he was dead, since he too dI agrid not hang with the beautiful young Hollywood crowd, even though he was both young AND beautiful.

Some friends say they're not surprised. I'm sure he was pretty depressed before they found him there, but he said the Batman role really messed him up because he's a character who just kills and has no morals. Also, his break-up with Michelle Williams. Then add not sleeping. Not a good combo.

A reporter said he did an interview with him where he looked really dirty and antsy and bolted right after the interview was over. Now, he's notorious for hating interviews. I've also seen some of his interviews with his monosyllabic answers, but it sounds like it reached epic proportions at the end there.

I don't know if it was a suicide, but I do think he tried to mix a lot of medications to get some sleep and calm himself down (ambien, anti-anxiety meds) and found just the right combo to kill him.

Some of these stars just keep taking drugs because they think they'll live forever and why not have fun. I don't see Heath as one of those people. I think he was a painfully shy guy who was very very sad.

I just saw William H. Macy (adore him) interviewed about Heath's passing. Mr. Macy said Heath was a brilliant talent and unfortunately that talent often comes with a cost. A dark side. There was something about the way he said it that was so chilling. Like he has seen the dark side often.

Green Eyez wrote:

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I don't know if it was a suicide, but I do think he tried to mix a lot of medications to get some sleep and calm himself down (ambien, anti-anxiety meds) and found just the right combo to kill him.

Some of these stars just keep taking drugs because they think they'll live forever and why not have fun. I don't see Heath as one of those people. I think he was a painfully shy guy who was very very sad.

Yes, the pressure of doing major movie after movie, jetlag, exhaustion, et. combined with anxiety and mental health issues is not a good combination.

I have to believe that Heath had some major demons based on everything I know and don't know about him. You can see it in his eyes and his behavior in interviews when not performing.

I don't see him as a recreational drug user, either.

Here is an interview with Christopher Plummer who was shooting the Terry Gilliam movie Heath was mid-way in when he died:
LINK

But I can totally imagine Heath being super excited about that movie, and then when the production stopped shooting for a week, the physical illness (walking pneumonia) plus the come down from several weeks of bliss as an actor and the inability to find anything comforting in real life (back to what Luca and I were talking about, where real life stuff just doesn't feel as real as the scenes you play with other great actors)...getting very depressed and just not giving a shit whether he was putting himself in danger with excess meds to go to sleep deep enough to stop his thoughts..and his life.

Of course I supppose they could find out he had some rare disease that killed him and nothing he did had anything to do with it.