Comments on: Heath Ledger dies

Heath Ledger dies

waraw — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:57:29 -0800

Heath Ledger found dead in Manhattan apartment.

By: Busithoth

Busithoth — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:58:30 -0800

By: CitrusFreak12

CitrusFreak12 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:59:25 -0800

Just heard the news. Very sad.

By: mattbucher

mattbucher — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:59:55 -0800

By: lisawin

lisawin — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:00:08 -0800

was just about to post this... .

By: ooga_booga

ooga_booga — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:00:20 -0800

Authorities are on the lookout for a "large bat-like creature" which was seen leaving the area.

By: BuddhaInABucket

BuddhaInABucket — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:00:28 -0800

By: infidelpants

infidelpants — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:01:13 -0800

. ?

By: infinitewindow

infinitewindow — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:01:24 -0800

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:01:51 -0800

I was just posting this and got the double alert on preview. Jesus, that's awful. He was a fantastic actor and had a 2-year old daughter, and was just about to appear in easily the most popular movie of the year (and likely a sequel)

By: farishta

farishta — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:02:36 -0800

By: Bookhouse

Bookhouse — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:02:53 -0800

He was a good actor -- certainly better than a man that good-looking needed to be. A shame.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:02:54 -0800

This really breaks me up. He was a superb actor. Like Jonny Depp, he was an exceptionally good looking man who never settled on just being a pretty boy, but actually set out to craft complex, surprising performances. He was originally supposed to play the Matt Damon role in The Brother's Grimm, but lobbied for the role of the nervous, intellectual brother, and turned in a great performance there. I suspect his Joker will be a classic, and, had he not died, one of many. .

By: WolfDaddy

WolfDaddy — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:03:01 -0800

w t f young actors? First Brad Renfro, now this? Renfro wasn't too much of a shock but ...

By: cavalier

cavalier — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:03:30 -0800

Somewhere a Hollywood producer is very very mad that he doesn't get a sequel. .

By: dismas

dismas — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:04:31 -0800

By: smackfu

smackfu — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:04:41 -0800

I really liked 10 Things I Hate About You. And A Knight's Tale wasn't bad either.

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:05:14 -0800

Holy crap.

By: BridgetR

BridgetR — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:06:02 -0800

By: eyeballkid

eyeballkid — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:06:29 -0800

Decent actor. Young guy. Sad all around. .

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:06:40 -0800

... adding, I hate making it sound like his success is what should make us extra-sad for him or anything, but Jesus Christ, I expected to see him in classics for another 20 years. I've never heard a single thing about him that suggested a drug problem or anything like that... he was a fantastic actor who had nothing but success and was on the rise, not in decline. I don't follow "celebrity" deaths that often but all I want to know right now is what the fuck happened. Fuck. Just fucking awful.

By: cazoo

cazoo — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:06:46 -0800

What a shitty day.

By: Unicorn on the cob

Unicorn on the cob — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:08:14 -0800

Holy shit, this is terrible. Poor Matilda. On another note, is this going to derail The Dark Knight? Although that is not nearly what's really important here... EVERYONE IN HOLLYWOOD LAY OFF THE DRUGS FOR A WEEK PLEASE.

By: tristeza

tristeza — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:08:31 -0800

By: blaneyphoto

blaneyphoto — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:09:00 -0800

Man, Renfro was no surprise at all but this just sucks.

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:09:02 -0800

Very sad.

By: sveskemus

sveskemus — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:09:29 -0800

By: cashman

cashman — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:09:33 -0800

The police said they did not suspect foul play. Officials said pills were found near the body. Damn. .

By: leo.

leo. — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:09:53 -0800

By: kimdog

kimdog — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:10:08 -0800

sad. just sad. fabulous talent.

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:10:21 -0800

. That sucks, he just seemed to be coming into the peak of his career. The clips that I've seen of him as The Joker look really cool, it's going to be sort of odd watching that movie now. ooga_booga, you lose points for recycling your snark from MetaChat

By: taff

taff — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:10:24 -0800

vale possum.

By: WCityMike

WCityMike — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:10:36 -0800

I'd like to propose an addition to the side, pb. An API that does a Google News Search every 5 minutes. If it detects more than 10 stories containing an identical name and the word "dies", that name is added to a 24-hour blacklist for posts. Seriously ... we are in such a rush to be the first one to do a FPP about a celebrity post that the "death posts" are almost never, nowadays, any meaningful concatenation of links about the events of the actor's death, or any meaningful retrospect of their career. "Carol Burnett dead at 84." "." "." "." "." "Damn, she was a fine comedienne." "." "." "." "." "Loved her and Harvey Korman." "." "." "Eh, she sucked." "." And so on. Come on, we can do so much better. But everyone's always going to want to be the one to break the news — and that's why the suggestion of a technological block was only half meant in jest.

By: Item

Item — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:11:29 -0800

Oh man. One of the few young big name actors that I had respect for. Very upsetting. .

By: grabbingsand

grabbingsand — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:12:14 -0800

. I'm growing ever more weary of self-prescribed ill-fate of these young actors and performers, the really good ones, the ones who actually create art with their lives and become something more than just a pretty face on a magazine. We've more celebrities than we need right now. What we don't have is actual, honest-to-God talent. Admittedly, when first I watched Heath Ledger, I wasn't entirely impressed. The Patriot didn't do enough for me to get me out for his next venture, Four Feathers. Dismissed it outright. Dismissed him entirely. My loss, I suppose. Because a few years later, he does Brokeback Mountain. For those able to get past the junior high giggle fog, his performance was stunning. Of a quality we just don't see at all, not any more. And he just finished work on The Dark Knight. That is ... man, I hope his work was wrapped, because everything I've seen is telling me that his take on the Joker is going to be more ferocious and profound than anyone should ever rightfully expect from a villainous clown in a "funny book movie." Peace be with him, but most of all with his family. And here's hoping that one day his children come close to understanding why. Somehow.

By: Unicorn on the cob

Unicorn on the cob — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:12:59 -0800

Dear god I hope it wasn't suicide, at least for his daughter's sake.

By: coolhappysteve

coolhappysteve — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:13:36 -0800

FYI, all Carol Burnett is still alive (at least according to my frantic Wikipedia search). And this is very sad and a bit shocking. .

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:14:11 -0800

On another note, is this going to derail The Dark Knight? The movie's finished but there's no knowledge if he was supposed to be in the third one or not. I can't imagine WB is going to shelf the movie over this.

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:14:18 -0800

I can't believe how badly I feel like watching 10 Things I Hate About You right now. *swoon of sadness*

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:14:26 -0800

Deaths come in threes. Who's next?

By: FunkyHelix

FunkyHelix — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:14:52 -0800

It's weird now because before it was older actors dying and my mom saying things like, "I remember their first role." Then she'd tell me about some commercial or movie that this older actor appeared in. Now it's people I've seen come up. Remember the television show Roar and how terrible it was? From there to Brokeback Mountain seemed a second. I'm starting to feel old.

By: prostyle

prostyle — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:15:10 -0800

Wow, seriously shitty

By: inconsequentialist

inconsequentialist — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:15:26 -0800

By: Item

Item — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:16:03 -0800

Deaths come in threes. Who's next? My money's on J.D. Salinger, at least sometime this year.

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:16:30 -0800

... sorry, I mean principal filming is finished. He might have been needed for ADR in post-production but I imagine they can work around that.

By: whatideserve

whatideserve — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:17:07 -0800

This is extremely sad. My thoughts go out to his family and especially his young daughter.

By: PostIronyIsNotaMyth

PostIronyIsNotaMyth — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:17:27 -0800

By: wowbobwow

wowbobwow — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:17:27 -0800

sad sad sad...

By: konolia

konolia — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:17:36 -0800

That's just too stinking young to be dead. .

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:17:38 -0800

Deaths come in threes. Who's next? Sorry to be morbid, but I think her name rhymes with Lamey Line-souse.

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:17:45 -0800

Shocking. Too young.

By: MythMaker

MythMaker — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:18:29 -0800

By: Poolio

Poolio — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:19:29 -0800

TMZ has the last picture taken of him, on the set of Terry Gilliam's latest flick this past Saturday.

By: ooga_booga

ooga_booga — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:20:01 -0800

Oh noes! I've been found out! Actually, you may note that I have re-edited the snark. This is snark 2.0, ladies and gents. Seriously, I thought it was some sort of Dark Knight publicity stunt. It's a real shame it's true - the guy had talent and he wasn't just another pretty face. That opinion's based mostly on his performance in Brokeback Mountain and I was looking forward to his Joker this summer. What really sucks is that he leaves a two year old daughter behind. I still think they should check on Christain Bale's whereabouts, though

By: aerotive

aerotive — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:20:03 -0800

How sad. He was very good in Monster's Ball and his version of the Joker looks (looked?) promising. Seconding the hope that it wasn't suicide: I've seen up close how suicide can just totally fuck up young survivors.

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:20:39 -0800

Sources tell CBS 2's Scott Weinberger the death may be drug-related and that there were pills scattered around the room. Fucking hell. Why. Fucking why.

By: Adam_S

Adam_S — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:21:36 -0800

in an apartment in Manhattan owned by the actress Mary-Kate Olsen I would not have predicted this when I woke up this morning.

By: kuujjuarapik

kuujjuarapik — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:21:41 -0800

By: BridgetR

BridgetR — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:23:04 -0800

In the spirit of expanding on my "." as WCityMike suggested, we just watched Lords of Dogtown over the weekend and loved his off the wall take as Skip.

By: chugg

chugg — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:23:19 -0800

Woah.

By: kosher_jenny

kosher_jenny — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:23:23 -0800

Fucking hell. Basically, what grabbingsand and XQUZYPHYR said. He had such talent and after his performance in Brokeback was just beginning to get recognized as being more than a pretty young face. He could have gone on to give some more amazing performances. I was one of the people who were really puzzled as to why he was cast as the Joker when it was first announced, but after reading some interviews and watching the trailers I'd become really optimistic and by all accounts so far it sounded like he had done a great job with the character. I hope it wasn't suicide.

By: Jody Tresidder

Jody Tresidder — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:23:57 -0800

This is terrible. So sorry. Fucking hell. .

By: Terminal Verbosity

Terminal Verbosity — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:24:03 -0800

"The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment in Manhattan owned by the actress Mary-Kate Olsen..." O_o

By: jerseygirl

jerseygirl — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:24:26 -0800

I would not have predicted this when I woke up this morning. It's all very random. .

By: parmanparman

parmanparman — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:24:56 -0800

Very sad. RIP

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:25:23 -0800

"The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment in Manhattan owned by the actress Mary-Kate Olsen..." Let's not go crazy yet! Just because she owned it doesn't mean it's the apartmen she lives in.... she might not even know him. Do you personally know the person who owns the apartment you rent? I don't.

By: katillathehun

katillathehun — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:26:03 -0800

A loud chorus of "WHAT??" just sounded simultaneously from all the offices on my floor. Calling it a shock is an understatement.

By: thinkpiece

thinkpiece — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:26:35 -0800

I have a 17 year old daughter who is completely dissolved in tears, making plans with her bffs to go down to Broome Street with flowers. She said, "Is everyone an asshole? I thought he wasn't an asshole!" Breaks my heart for the young people. He gets eternal props for the lovely job he did in Brokeback Mountain.

By: Weebot

Weebot — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:26:46 -0800

. Additionally, Terry Gilliam's latest flick? Really? The fates just never cut Gilliam a break.

By: pxe2000

pxe2000 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:26:50 -0800

Somehow his performance in I'm Not There is even more poignant. Dammit. .

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:26:56 -0800

Dammit.

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:27:05 -0800

It's echoing all over this cube farm...

By: Parasite Unseen

Parasite Unseen — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:27:31 -0800

I doubt that this will derail the release of Dark Knight. If anything, it'll shoot it to the stars. The WB has just been handed the ultimate viral marketing campaign, and they didn't spend one red cent to get it started. Ledger mentioned in interviews how he isolated himself to prepare for the role and kept an in-character diary involving the Joker's psychotic rantings. Combine these tidbits of bizarre behavior with his sudden, unexpected, tragic death, and you've got a subject that'll keep people talking about the movie until well after it's completed a successful theater run. In a world full of hacks, he was a talented and dedicated actor. I just hope that the ghoulish interest in the manner of his death doesn't overshadow his work.

By: opsin

opsin — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:28:01 -0800

Looked like he was just beginning to get really interesting too... Damn. I haven't seen Brokeback, but can believe his performance would be good, and do want to see Dark Knight (despite having many issues with the last Batman). Does look to be another Terry Gilliam project screwed. And while he's definitely too young every sign points to him not being entirely happy, or at least hard to make happy, and I know if I was in an Olsen's flat I'd consider ending it all! Not entirely facetious I fear.

By: Stynxno

Stynxno — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:28:30 -0800

Headline News is reporting that pills were found near the body and the pills were over the counter sleeping medication. developing.

By: freebird

freebird — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:29:30 -0800

Huh. Hadn't really thought of him as someone I thought particularly highly of, but being reminded of his work in this thread really is kinda making me bummed. Oddly, Skip from Lords of Dogtown is probably my favorite, and I don't care what anyone says, Knight's Tale was awesome. Damn, why do I always notice how much I like people too late?

By: wreckingball

wreckingball — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:30:01 -0800

i know that these things get around quickly, but i have to say i'm a little bit dumbfounded that the news (complete with insinuations as to the cause of death) was on the front page of the Times only an hour and change after the body was found, though i guess i shouldn't be. it just seems... crass?

By: chudmonkey

chudmonkey — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:30:21 -0800

I remember one evening 4-5 years ago when a friend I sometimes buy dope from called me up. "Get the fuck over here!" he whispered. "Right the fuck now!, you want to be here!" was all the clarification I got before he hung up. A few minutes later I was down the street in his basement, looking at Heath Ledger and a few random australian dudes, sitting around passing a joint. For some reason, when Heath was looking for weed while filming Brokeback Mountain, my friend's name came up, and the rest is history. I got to tell Heath how much I liked his work, but I couldn't really figure anything else to say, so we all just grinned and giggled at each other through the haze. He apparently liked my buddy's stuff, bought some for the road, and 20 minutes later he was gone. 2 years later, I was walking down the street at about 1:30 am on a Friday night. I saw a large gaggle of people walking towards me on the same street, and as I got closer, I could tell from the loud voices that they were a bunch of rowdy Aussies. Just as I was stepping of the sidewalk to let them pass me, I noticed the guy at the center of the group... Heath Ledger. "Hey, Heath!" I called, and gave a little wave. He clearly didn't recognize me, but he called back "Hey, mate! Having a good night?" and the rest was lost in the raucous all his buddies were making. He seemed to me to be great sort of guy who appreciated his friends and having a good time with them. He had no arrogance about him. I always kinda figured our paths would cross again, and I'm sad to know he left behind a bunch of people who'll miss him.

By: quin

quin — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:30:22 -0800

What a complete drag, I really enjoyed his work. A Knight's Tale was one of those go-to films when my wife and I were bored. There was romance and dancing for one of us, and kick-ass guys on horses whacking each other with sticks. (I leave it to you to decide who enjoyed what...) I was so excited when I found out he was going to be playing the Joker. There are few actors that I believed could pull it off in a way that I believed the same way that I believed Bale could be Batman. I was stunned when I found out that they cast someone so well suited. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

By: liquorice

liquorice — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:30:25 -0800

Wow. I just found out about this. Was not expecting it it all. .

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:30:37 -0800

Cynically, my second reaction (after sadness) was to think "how many days will this knock other stories out of the headlines?" There's some pretty major stuff going down right now in the world and I suspect that what we'll be seeing for the next week is all Heath, all the time. Not to diminish the tragedy, but if Anna Nicole Smith warranted a week of national mourning, a celebrity with actual talent and charisma passing on so young should lead to at least of month of tribtue and investigation.

By: grapefruitmoon

grapefruitmoon — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:31:04 -0800

This is a terrible way to remind me that I still need to watch Brokeback Mountain. This is really awful news. I feel very badly for his daughter, who is probably too young to have really solid memories of him to look back on when she grows up. It's just absolutely tragic. It's hard for me to believe that he was only 28 - he's done so much, and he was so talented, he certainly seemed a lot older to me.

By: WPW

WPW — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:31:12 -0800

. He was a Ledger in his own lifetime.

By: ooga_booga

ooga_booga — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:31:21 -0800

This Ledger is now closed.

By: spec80

spec80 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:31:34 -0800

I'm in shock. I can't even think right now.

By: oh pollo!

oh pollo! — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:32:05 -0800

Very sad, the guy was really starting to hit his stride. By all accounts his Joker in The Dark Knight is phenomenal.

By: Effigy2000

Effigy2000 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:32:55 -0800

Wow... my fiancee and I just watched 10 Things I Hate About You on the weekend. How sad... and untimely. .

By: ninjew

ninjew — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:33:08 -0800

I know some people don't like the dead-threads, but I think it's more than just a place to post the ".". Sometimes you read these threads to see how the person was thought of. Or experiences involving that person's contribution to society, both good and bad. But yeah, this is bad news.

By: schustafa

schustafa — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:33:13 -0800

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:34:57 -0800

What a shame.

By: tomble

tomble — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:34:58 -0800

By: xmutex

xmutex — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:35:10 -0800

By: billypilgrim

billypilgrim — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:37:36 -0800

By: Mr Bunnsy

Mr Bunnsy — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:38:18 -0800

So very sad and unexpected. And what a terrible way to be found. It almost seems fishy how perfectly lurid the whole thing is. .

By: teleskiving

teleskiving — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:39:19 -0800

This is heartbreaking.

By: fredosan

fredosan — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:40:36 -0800

By: Jody Tresidder

Jody Tresidder — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:40:44 -0800

"Sometimes you read these threads to see how the person was thought of..." Totally, ninjew. I have sons just leaving their hothead teen years (when you start daring to think they might be safe...). And I thought A Knight's Tale was daftly clever and sexy.. While "Brokeback" was glorious. This is really a rotten one...

By: Dr. Zira

Dr. Zira — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:40:52 -0800

Why did you quit us Ennis?

By: Ricky_gr10

Ricky_gr10 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:41:26 -0800

Awful.

By: Jairus

Jairus — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:42:05 -0800

Am I the only person who's literally never heard of this guy?

By: lizzicide

lizzicide — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:42:51 -0800

By: mr_roboto

mr_roboto — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:43:43 -0800

Am I the only person who's literally never heard of this guy? There are probably a few billion others, but if you've watched American movies over the past five years or so, yeah, he's a pretty big name.

By: DevilsAdvocate

DevilsAdvocate — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:44:08 -0800

Deaths come in threes. Who's next? A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that about three people die every second, worldwide.

By: josher71

josher71 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:45:05 -0800

By: cmgonzalez

cmgonzalez — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:45:22 -0800

This really shocked me today. The Dark Knight seemed poised to shoot his profile right into the stratosphere. Even so, he was an actor that liked to challenge himself. I'm sad for his daughter though.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:46:01 -0800

I don't know who this guy is. Told a friend just now, and she was stunned. She named off some of his movies. I never saw them. For me it was John Belushi. That ripped me up inside, cuz I was a big fan, and I learned that day that mourning is a selfish act. I wasn't sad for him. I was sad because I was never gonna see any new material from him. He was never gonna make me laugh in a new way. I went though what's now called the various Stages of Grief. I'm rather jaded now. If this Ledger guy died doing something he loved, why should people lose sleep over it? He loved dope more than he loved fame. I'd suggest you not give him another exhalation of breath. But then again, I can't practice what I preach: I still miss Jake.

By: rtha

rtha — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:46:10 -0800

Poor guy. Christ. .

By: Jairus

Jairus — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:46:55 -0800

There are probably a few billion others, but if you've watched American movies over the past five years or so, yeah, he's a pretty big name. I just looked up his IMDB profile, and I haven't seen a single movie he's worked on. (I had planned to watch Brokeback Mountain, but never got around to it.)

By: Baby_Balrog

Baby_Balrog — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:47:39 -0800

This is terrible. I'm roughly the same age and it's really sad to see actors whose careers you've watched develop over the course of your own life lose their lives at such a young age. .

By: chudmonkey

chudmonkey — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:47:56 -0800

Jalrus, you're a smart guy with lots of serious interests, so I'll try to be respectful. You don't have to post every thought you have, particularly when it's likely to bug people who are in the process of fondly remembering a dead person. The answer to your hypothetical question is no, but being universally known isn't a requisite for being a cool, talented, worthwhile dude. I'd never heard of you before today, but if you'd died I'd have kept my mouth shut.

By: mullingitover

mullingitover — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:48:32 -0800

Is it too early to start speculating that perhaps he was killed in some crazy love triangle with Mary-Kate Olsen and the 'masseuse' who discovered his body?

By: Baby_Balrog

Baby_Balrog — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:48:45 -0800

I just looked up his IMDB profile, and I haven't seen a single movie he's worked on. Thanks for popping in to share that, jairus.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:48:57 -0800

I just hope we don't have to see too many photos of the Olsen sisters in willowy mourning clothes.

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:49:08 -0800

By: Parasite Unseen

Parasite Unseen — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:49:59 -0800

He loved dope more than he loved fame. One wonders who your source is, since there has been absolutely nothing released by the NYPD to suggest that this was the case. As mentioned upthread, some over-the-counter sleeping pills were found near his body. That's so far from being an established cause of death that the two couldn't see one another on a clear day, using telescopes.

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:50:03 -0800

If you look at the updated story, they're now saying it's an apartment "inhabited by" Olsen. This is a really, really weird story, and I hate to be That Guy, but the fact that he was found by his, um, in-call "masseuse" just makes it all that much more lurid and slightly suspect.

By: turaho

turaho — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:50:17 -0800

He loved dope more than he loved fame. [citation needed]

By: the quidnunc kid

the quidnunc kid — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:50:22 -0800

Surely the phenomenon of celebrity is now so ubitquitous that we could expect to be immune from its sullen spell when tragedy blights the spotlighted incumbent? No! - not when a callow youth, whose very profession is to inculcate empathy in his audience, is suddenly clutched to pale Thanatos' side. And are we wrong to care so? Never! Let's not be ashamed of compassion, dear friends, wherever we find it - there's so little of it about in these dark and troublesome times. Let's celebrate the wonderful times we had together with Heath - oh, he didn't know us, of course; but were we not there in the darkened theatre, and yet by his side, in his adventures, romances, and even times of riotous farce? My nostrils recall him as the scent of popcorn, my ears as the tocsins, songs and dialogue of dolby-sound. Cinema stretched him to immense proportions on the flattened screen, each part of his being was there magnified to gigantic dimensions. A movie star! The acme of fantasies! Those were his titles; the applause of millions was his stipend. His life was a celebration of dreams - THAT is how we should remember him. And for that bum-sex movie he did - that was good too.

By: Reggie Knoble

Reggie Knoble — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:51:16 -0800

He loved dope more than he loved fame So you have no idea who he is but you have already established a cause of death? Good job there.

By: flashboy

flashboy — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:51:40 -0800

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. .

By: twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious

twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:52:59 -0800

. What's strange is just this odd sense of "Him? Now? Why?" I sort of get this sense of...cosmic poetry, if it had been someone else, someone who had already become an icon. Kurt Cobain? Sure. Anna Nicole Smith? Ok. "That's not...surprising," she said slowly. But him? He had just barely gotten started making a name for himself. There wasn't enough about him that the whole world was buzzing, and there wasn't enough about him that the whole world dismissed. He just got cut down *sst* just as his career was getting started. (Also, why do I vaguely remember some rumor about him dating an Olsen twin? I can't for the life of me figure out where I would hear that, and I can't find any evidence that even happened.)

By: cell divide

cell divide — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:53:01 -0800

He was a friend of a friend, who says she is shocked. she also says he definitely "liked to party", but then again who of his age/status doesn't?

By: supercres

supercres — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:53:02 -0800

Shocking. Sad. Especially for (and because of) his young daughter. .

By: chudmonkey

chudmonkey — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:53:11 -0800

Did he love dope more than he loved fame? What a stupid question, but the answer from my personal, first-hand experience is yes. He didn't seem to give a damn about being famous, but he loved to smoke up. I don't think he loved it more than being alive, however. He seemed rather fond of life.

By: desuetude

desuetude — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:53:14 -0800

By: Jairus

Jairus — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:53:19 -0800

You don't have to post every thought you have, particularly when it's likely to bug people who are in the process of fondly remembering a dead person. I'm not trolling, I've just never seen so many people upset over someone I've never even peripherally observed, and it's pretty spooky. I was honestly curious if I'm the only person who's never heard of him, or if he had a weird kind of niche fame. Anyway, I'll leave now.

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:54:45 -0800

If you look at the updated story, they're now saying it's an apartment "inhabited by" Olsen. Which story? The Times' story isn't updated, and TMZ is reporting the apartment is in no way related to Olsen.

By: wells

wells — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:55:02 -0800

gah. .

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:55:12 -0800

Anyway, I'll leave now. Am I the only person who has never heard of this guy?

By: ooga_booga

ooga_booga — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:55:39 -0800

I had completely forgotten that he was in Monster's Ball. I thought the movie was quite good, though a tad overpromoted, but his performance in it was subtle and just as good as Berry's or Thornton's.

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:56:11 -0800

Y'know, back in the 60s and 70s, so many young celebrities died tragically at the height of their fame. And we just don't have it happen that often anymore so when it does, it just blows our minds. But since so few of them were really dying I think that's why people were able to laugh at things like Anna Nicole, she was a cartoon. Nobody really thought about it too seriously how short life is when you're self destructive.

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:57:02 -0800

Yeah, they've updated it again, it seems, and now it's back to just being owned by her. Evidently, someone over at NYT got a little eager there.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:57:30 -0800

He loved dope more than he loved fame. [citation needed] Allow me to be more succinct. He loved whatever killed him more than he cared about you.

By: Pecinpah

Pecinpah — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:57:32 -0800

Fuck. This guy was making some huge progress as an actor, too...dang. .

By: mmahaffie

mmahaffie — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:58:03 -0800

. indeed

By: thinkpiece

thinkpiece — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:58:12 -0800

By: Skygazer

Skygazer — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:58:24 -0800

In spite of his Aussie background, he had been Brooklyn's favorite son for a few years, living in Boerum Hill and helping with his wife to oppose some egregious eminent domain scheme (Atlantic Yards) with an organization called Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn. I always admired that he was down to earth enough to help out the community. His performance in Brokeback Mountain was the kind of molecular level of embodiment of a role that seems on par with a spiritual possession of sorts (Like Brando..definitely). Scary good. He and his wife separated last year and he'd moved back to Manhattan to live with a new girlfriend, I'm not sure if that was MKO. I imagine he was gong through some rough times , and, I may be wrong, but I can't imagine Mary Kate Olsen possessing the intelligence and depth necessary to help him through whatever spiritual malaise was rotting his soul. RIP

By: Atom Eyes

Atom Eyes — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:58:30 -0800

I nominate the quidnunc kid's comment up there as the official MetaFilter Heath Ledger obit. Do I hear a second?

By: DevilsAdvocate

DevilsAdvocate — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:58:41 -0800

You don't have to post every thought you have, particularly when it's likely to bug people who are in the process of fondly remembering a dead person. "likely to bug people?" Jairus said he had never heard of Ledger before this. Nothing worse. He's hardly slandering the deceased.

By: chihiro

chihiro — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:58:48 -0800

So sad for their little girl. .

By: jtron

jtron — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:58:55 -0800

If this Ledger guy died doing something he loved, why should people lose sleep over it? He loved dope more than he loved fame. Christ, what an asshole.

By: Stynxno

Stynxno — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:58:55 -0800

TMZ is saying that the death was acciental. TMZ has learned, through a source, that he had a substance abuse problem and had been clean for a year. developing.

By: Reggie Knoble

Reggie Knoble — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:59:13 -0800

He loved whatever killed him more than he cared about you. Is being an ass like a sport for you?

By: starman

starman — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:59:41 -0800

Bummer.

By: spec80

spec80 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:59:49 -0800

Fox News just aired part of an interview Ledger did while promoting I'm Not There and he said something to the effect of how he was no longer scared of dying because he lives through his daughter. Fox also says that the body is still in there. That's why all the cameras are there now, waiting for the moment for it to come out.

By: Stynxno

Stynxno — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:00:19 -0800

Headline news is reporting that it was Ambien. TMZ has a live feed outside his NYC apartment. More as it comes in.

By: KevinSkomsvold

KevinSkomsvold — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:00:40 -0800

...some over-the-counter sleeping pills were found near his body.... That's so far from being an established cause of death that the two couldn't see one another on a clear day, using telescopes. Yes, I'm sure he died of old age. Are you serious? Far be it from me to, oh I don't know -- put two and two together and come up with a possible four? Until further results are posted by The Smoking Gun, dissected by TMG and his autopsy report is available for download to any sixteen year old with a an internet connection, this isn't too far of a stretch in the least. That said, he was a very skilled actor and I loved everything he was in. This is a waste of talent.

By: chihiro

chihiro — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:00:42 -0800

"Fox also says that the body is still in there. That's why all the cameras are there now, waiting for the moment for it to come out." If this is true, it's revolting.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:00:43 -0800

Jairus: "I'm not trolling, I've just never seen so many people upset over someone I've never even peripherally observed, and it's pretty spooky." My sentiments exactly. Well... I'd use the word 'creepy' but essentially it's the same sentiments.

By: moonlet

moonlet — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:01:03 -0800

By: nakedcodemonkey

nakedcodemonkey — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:01:04 -0800

Which story? The Times' story isn't updated The Times' site did briefly have a "5:44pm" update that characterized the apt as "inhabited" by Olsen. A "5:51pm" update changed it back to "owned by", with clarification from unnamed police sources. Someone's clearly working the phones, trying to figure out if there's a gossipy scoop to be had. Lovely.

By: Silky Slim

Silky Slim — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:01:28 -0800

By: wowbobwow

wowbobwow — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:01:59 -0800

Didn't take long but the tacky flickr tributes have already launched. An interesting way to publicly share the grief, but augh! That font is lurid, people. not that talking about it on metafilter is much classier, but still....

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:02:17 -0800

Suicide Suspected In Heath Ledger's Death

"Police are now saying they suspect suicide in Heath Ledger's death today at a Manhattan apartment owned, says the Times, by actress Mary-Kate Olsen. Prescription pills were found around the actor's 'naked and unconscious' body."

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:02:27 -0800

The Times' site did briefly have a "5:44pm" update that characterized the apt as "inhabited" by Olsen. A "5:51pm" update changed it back to "owned by", with clarification from unnamed police sources Innnnnteresting.

By: chudmonkey

chudmonkey — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:03:15 -0800

Hey, Zachsmind... I like Heath Ledger a lot more than I like you. And I frankly think you're wrong about Heath... on two separate occasions, I witnessed him being unnecessarily social and friendly when he had no reason to, and every opportunity to be anti-social or cloistered. He seemed to care about people.

By: emf

emf — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:04:12 -0800

I never noticed him until Monster's Ball where his quiet performance really made me understand how good he was. His best work was ahead of him, and we're the poorer for his loss. He wasn't a celebrity. He was a talented actor who could read a script and 'suit the action to the word'.

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:04:31 -0800

Jairus: "I'm not trolling, I've just never seen so many people upset over someone I've never even peripherally observed, and it's pretty spooky." Breaking news: Not everyone is you. Film at 11.

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:04:41 -0800

"One of Ledger's close friends tells US magazine his death was shocking, but not surprising. 'We saw it coming. Heath has gone though a rough road of trying to get sober.'"

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:04:44 -0800

ZachsMind, I think you should reflect on the fact that, generally speaking, when you present a "controversial" opinion on the site, very few people ever agree with you and many more people become increasingly convinced that you're a complete tool. Showing your ass in an obit thread is probably not a real great idea for you.

By: goshling

goshling — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:05:33 -0800

Two Hands is one of my favourite movies. I think I'll watch it tonight. What a huge loss. He always seemed like a really nice kid.

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:06:22 -0800

One of Ledger's close friends tells US magazine "Close friend" !=! "tells US magazine". I hope when I die, you will all take my vices to your graves.

By: turaho

turaho — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:07:50 -0800

Allow me to be more succinct. He loved whatever killed him more than he cared about you. The issue is not whether he cared about me or anyone in this thread. (Personally, I enjoyed him in the handful of movies I'd seen him in and am looking forward to see his Joker this summer, but I'm not exactly what you'd call a fan.) The issue is you're bounding in pronouncing Ledger's love for whatever killed him when the guy's been dead for a few hours and the cause of death hasn't even been determined. Allow me to be more succinct. How long do you have to wait after someone dies to start pulling stuff out of your ass about them?

By: TheOnlyCoolTim

TheOnlyCoolTim — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:08:02 -0800

Deaths come in threes. Who's next? A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that about three people die every second, worldwide. Silly, it only matters when famous people die! Seeing the Olsen name reminds me of something. With so much to do in NYC, and me moving away recently, I realize there are things one can only do there that I never took advantage of or got the chance to do. One of these was to somehow end up doing massive amounts of coke with the Olsen twins. Not that I even do massive amounts of coke, but to participate in that sort of well-deserved fall from grace/eventual shitshow I would make an exception.

By: Ricky_gr10

Ricky_gr10 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:08:36 -0800

Curious. Not only are some people posting inappropriate things in this thread, they are also belligerently, bafflingly unaware of what they're doing. Is it not possible to interrupt the flow of piffle for even the briefest of times? Say, in a tribute thread?

By: spec80

spec80 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:08:53 -0800

DCPI/NYPD is saying that it is not MKOlsen's apartment.

By: Pope Guilty

Pope Guilty — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:09:37 -0800

We take death pretty fucking seriously, apparently.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:12:09 -0800

Kittens For Breakfast: "Showing your ass in an obit thread is probably not a real great idea for you" Wasn't aware MeFi was a popularity contest. Thank you for the heads up.

By: chudmonkey

chudmonkey — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:12:14 -0800

C'mon, DevilsAdvocate... Jalrus chose to reveal that he had never heard of Heath via a hypothetical question, one that no one could actually answer. That's not a good or polite conversational gambit. And since the fact that Jalrus has never heard of Heath isn't relevant to a discussion of Heath's death, it was a bad conversational gambit with no hope of paying off anyway. It was akin to walking into someone's wake and saying "Why the long faces? Who's the guy in the box?" An attack on Heath would have been infinitely more relevant in this thread than what Jalrus provided. Do you read every thread on the blue and wonder to yourself "Is Jalrus familiar with this topic?"

By: kosem

kosem — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:13:14 -0800

What an absolute bummer.

By: nakedcodemonkey

nakedcodemonkey — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:13:14 -0800

...aaaand now the Times has a 6:06pm update that deletes Olsen from the lede entirely, and has a denial from her rep. Not that the "newspaper of record" is bothering to cop to any of these revisions, mind you. Do newspapers still run Corrections, or is that considered News 1.0 nowadays?

By: Stynxno

Stynxno — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:13:27 -0800

Headline News Reports: "His role as the Joker was so troubling and demonic to him that he had trouble sleeping at night."

By: languagehat

languagehat — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:14:48 -0800

I saw him in Santa Barbara a couple years ago at a film festival and he was wonderfully natural-seeming and great with the fans. And, as many have said, he was a tremendous actor (if you haven't seen Brokeback Mountain, go do so at once). I don't really understand why people feel the need to post assholish comments about how little they care, but I'm glad there are so few of them. .

By: puke & cry

puke & cry — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:16:01 -0800

Holy shit. I loved that guy. As an actor.

By: agentofselection

agentofselection — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:16:44 -0800

My sentiments exactly. When he posted those sentiments, he not only wasn't directly talking shit about Ledger, he also left the thread. Just sayin'.

By: Phire

Phire — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:17:21 -0800

waitholyshitWHAT? ... WHAT? ... Heath Ledger! ... No! .

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:19:02 -0800

“My money's on J.D. Salinger, at least sometime this year.” How would you tell? I dunno. Sad. But as to this suicide business - is it worse to live life in a prolonged self-destructive way (e.g. drugs) or to end it swiftly? Not that he died either way (but apparently he had a substance abuse problem), but it seems that one is a concession the other is a choice. Doesn’t help the survivors much I suppose. It’s a shame however it is.

By: arcticwoman

arcticwoman — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:19:32 -0800

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:19:40 -0800

Wasn't aware MeFi was a popularity contest. Thank you for the heads up. It's not a popularity contest, Zach, but it's not a who-can-be-the-biggest-asshole contest, either. There seems to be some confusion on this point; maybe the FAQ needs updating, I dunno.

By: narebuc

narebuc — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:19:55 -0800

The Prozac or anti-depressant he needed, if truly a suicide, might sadly have taken a bit off his acting. I wonder if he knew that and cared more about his craft? Sad indeed. .

By: smackfu

smackfu — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:20:02 -0800

Do newspapers still run Corrections, or is that considered News 1.0 nowadays? The City Room section that this post links to is a blog, so there's no editor and no corrections.

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:21:01 -0800

Not that the "newspaper of record" is bothering to cop to any of these revisions, mind you. Do newspapers still run Corrections, or is that considered News 1.0 nowadays? Interesting question. I hope the news media will set the record straight if it's not MK's apartment. Wow, I just got deva ju. Did someone die in someone else's apartment before? Must search history...

By: granted

granted — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:21:15 -0800

That live feed of the removal of the body is so morbid. Not that I am any better. “You might let him die in peace, at least,” she shouted at the crowd, “is it a spectacle for you to gape at? With cigarettes! (Cough, cough, cough!) You might as well keep your hats on.… And there is one in his hat!… Get away! You should respect the dead, at least!” Her cough choked her—but her reproaches were not without result. They evidently stood in some awe of Katerina Ivanovna. The lodgers, one after another, squeezed back into the doorway with that strange inner feeling of satisfaction which may be observed in the presence of a sudden accident, even in those nearest and dearest to the victim, from which no living man is exempt, even in spite of the sincerest sympathy and compassion.

By: DevilsAdvocate

DevilsAdvocate — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:21:49 -0800

Do you read every thread on the blue and wonder to yourself "Is Jalrus familiar with this topic?" No, but in general I don't find it particularly offensive when people come in and declare that they hadn't heard of the thread's subject before, as seems to happen in at least half of the threads around here. Sometimes it's complimentary ("Wow, what a great post! I'd never heard about that before.") Sometimes it's disdainful ("Is this something I'd need a television to know about?") Sometimes it's neutral, and sometimes it's unclear. I guess I don't see that Jairus's pronouncement should be automatically lumped in the "disdainful" category, particularly given his followup that his comment was sincere and not trolling.

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:21:57 -0800

MSNBC: Authorities say actor's death likely suicide or accidental overdose.

By: Item

Item — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:22:21 -0800

I recently rewatched most of the flawed but decent adaptation of Luke Davies' Candy a few weeks back. Ledger made a film work that otherwise might not've. It's been popping up on the movie channels lately and I recommend catching it.

By: Mental Wimp

Mental Wimp — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:22:24 -0800

Ave, vale, salve.

By: CitizenD

CitizenD — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:22:39 -0800

"It's not a popularity contest, Zach, but it's not a who-can-be-the-biggest-asshole contest, either" it's not? coulda fooled me. and i'm not just talking about this thread.

By: spec80

spec80 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:22:49 -0800

To elaborate on what Stynxno said above: FROM THE NY TIMES 11-4-07 ''Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,'' he said. ''I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.'' One night he took an Ambien, which failed to work. He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing. === The latest copy of British film magazine "Empire" features Ledger as this month's cover story for his upcoming role as the Joker in the Batman: The Dark Knight movie. In preparation for the role, Ledger stated that, "I sat around in a hotel room in London for about a month, locked myself away, formed a little diary and experimented with voices".

By: tellurian

tellurian — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:24:19 -0800

Seconding that goshling. I've seen most of his movies and it's one of my favourites too.

By: empath

empath — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:25:12 -0800

Is there an opposite of a favorite? Cause I'd really like to use that on a few posts in this thread. Flagging isn't enough.

By: eyeballkid

eyeballkid — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:25:47 -0800

Jairus: "I'm not trolling, I've just never seen so many people upset over someone I've never even peripherally observed, and it's pretty spooky." My sentiments exactly. Well... I'd use the word 'creepy' but essentially it's the same sentiments. Yeah, because calling posters to this thread "creepy" doesn't make you any less a trollish jackass. Isn't there an open WGA strike thread you can flood with unintelligible tripe ZachsMind?

By: eyeballkid

eyeballkid — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:26:09 -0800

And somehow my italics disappear.

By: geoff.

geoff. — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:26:13 -0800

First of all it is Jairus, not Jalrus, and I'm going to defend him as I've had several, pleasant conversations with him. I believe he was being earnest when he asked who it was, believing it to be someone with a cult following or otherwise not known in the mainstream. In fact, I have never seen Heath Ledger in a movie, I think his buzz was bigger than he was at this point. He was a terrifically talented actor, but has yet to have a film in the mainstream in the way someone like Jack Nicholson has. I think he was about to breakthrough, certainly since the success of Brokeback Mountain, but this is young Hollywood we are talking about, and if you don't follow films or celebrity news closely, there is a good chance the name recognition is lost. This will completely change Dark Knight, as no one can view the film now without this tragedy surrounding it. Here's hoping that the film can give some sort of vindication and substance to his name, that which he apparently felt was missing from his life.

By: Juryizout

Juryizout — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:26:57 -0800

Man, that's really sad when ANYONE takes their life, but I guess we, as movie goers, felt a connection with this kid. He was talented, and we will all miss him. But his family could use prayers right now.

By: dog food sugar

dog food sugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:28:45 -0800

. This is just so sad. I remember being really moved by his performance in Monster's Ball. And he just broke my heart in Brokeback Mntn. Like someone said before I was looking forward to watching him for years from now. So very sad.

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:30:41 -0800

The candle that burns twice as bright burns only half as long. And the inverse goes too, ye longwinded gasbags.

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:31:19 -0800

Yessssssssssss, I think that means I will live forever!

By: empath

empath — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:31:45 -0800

There's no reason to believe this was a suicide yet. It may very well have been accidental.

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:31:57 -0800

I’ll add, while I don’t have any personal connection with Ledger and so I don’t particularly ‘care’ in the conventional sense, his death does serve to remind us how precarious life is and how much of a gift we are to each other. Simply because he was more visible. And indeed, because he more visibly shared his gifts with us. It doesn’t make his death special or more of human loss than anyone else’s death. But it doesn’t make it less either. When Sinatra died, my mom, who was a big fan, was pretty sad. Well, I couldn’t mourn, the man died at an old age after living a full and healthy (and in some respects enviable in material success alone) life filled with music and the joy of sharing his talent with others. Death is a loss. This can be said of anyone. And we do feel it more keenly when it’s the death of someone close to us. But such visible deaths marked the passing of facets of our lives that are irrevocably lost. A future that is now dark to us and a life and talent we can celebrate but no longer share in. And so it’s true that it’s just the loss of a ‘celebrity,’ but in a real sense it’s a loss nevertheless. And we know - I know just as you all know, it reminds us of our own mortality and the people who ARE close to us who may not be as widely celebrated whos lives we do share, who are also mortal. Act accordingly.

By: Item

Item — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:33:30 -0800

Did someone die in someone else's apartment before? Must search history... ThePinkSuperhero, don't know if this is what you're thinking of but Mama Cass and Keith Moon both died in an apartment owned by Harry Nilisson.

By: urbandude

urbandude — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:33:54 -0800

just a little messed up: Heath Ledger Hangs Himself - For A Role In Terry Gilliam's New Film, 'The Imagination of Doctor Parnassus'

By: spec80

spec80 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:34:27 -0800

Publicist for Mary Kate Olsen says she does NOT own the apartment (nor has she ever owned an apt in that building.) NYC Medical Examiner's office says an autopsy will be performed tomorrow.

By: TimTypeZed

TimTypeZed — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:35:43 -0800

First reports said he was staying in an apartment of Mary-Kate Olson, who was off doing publicity for a movie in which she starred with Oscar winning (and three other times nominated) Sir Ben Kingsley. This indicates to me that he may not have actually died, but instead discovered a tear in the universe somewhere within that apartment.

By: notmydesk

notmydesk — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:37:10 -0800

On the Celebrity Death WTF-o-Meter, I think this comes in below Bruno Kirby but above River Phoenix. Phil Hartman is still number one on the chart, though.

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:37:46 -0800

(In fairness, Sir Ben Kingsley appeared in Uwe Boll's Bloodrayne. If anything, starring in a film with Mary-Kate Olsen is a step up.)

By: craichead

craichead — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:37:55 -0800

Well, I'm pretty darn upset about this and a little bit baffled about why I am, so I think it's a fair question. I respect Ledger and have seen and enjoyed a couple of his movies, but it's not like I was a charter member of the Heath Ledger fan club. I think it's just terribly sad and unexpected, and it's a reminder that life can be awfully cruel sometimes. I've known some people who died when they were a similar age, also with apparently bright futures, and in similar circumstances, and it's about the saddest thing I can think of. So yeah: it's about the particular guy who died too young, and it's also about the fact that it reminds us all how precarious life is. The fact that Ledger was primarily known as a talented actor and not as a fodder for Hollywood gossip magazines probably makes it seem worse.

By: EatTheWeak

EatTheWeak — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:39:08 -0800

Caught this while doing my daily patrol of the 24-hour cable news noise machine. Don't think you could call me a Ledger fan, exactly, but he never turned in a performance I didn't enjoy. I've been stoked to see him as the Joker since news of that casting broke, and it's a real drag that he's perished at such an early age. But like I said, I was watching this on the noise machine. And the blurbs on the bottom of the screen have been pretty absurd. On FOX News, the blurb they ran under the Ledger stock footage read something to the effect of "Authorities believe death was accidental." Now, exposure to FOX News is like exposure to uranium, so I moved on quickly. Next channel up was Headline News, where the blurb was "Suicide likely in Ledger's death." Fucking hell. I know what it's like to write a headline under deadline pressure, but it never calls for making shit up. I'd love to see CNN and the whole lot switch the blurbs to something honest, like "Ledger's death: details to follow autopsy" or, "Ledger: We'll know something tomorrow, and repeat it all day" or "Expect to hear about Heath Ledger for the rest of the month"

By: Phire

Phire — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:39:27 -0800

Having actually sifted through all the comments in this thread (and hating more than a few of them) I'm still... stunned by how much I care. I feel like crying right now, and the only movie I've seen him in is Ten Things I Hate About You which I adored beyond measure when I first saw it, and still love now. And even though the implications that his role as the Joker may have affected his pysche are scary and saddening, they make me respect him that much more - he was pretty, exceedingly so, yet he still pushed himself so hard...

By: SassHat

SassHat — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:39:39 -0800

From his IMDB Biography: "I'm not good at future planning. I don't plan at all. I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow. I don't have a day planner and I don't have a diary. I completely live in the now, not in the past, not in the future." His poor daughter. And Michelle, too - they didn't split all that long ago and now her little girl isn't going to have a daddy. I remember seeing both of them on a talk show a year or so ago, and they seemed like a really nice, relaxed young couple. They talked about their daughter and how much they loved living in NYC. I think there's a curse on the cast of Dawson's Creek. Look at "Kate Cruise."

By: notmydesk

notmydesk — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:39:48 -0800

In fact, this is about how my Celebrity Death WTF-o-Meter shakes out as present (Top 5). 1) Phil Hartman 2) Bruno Kirby 3) John Denver 4) Heath Ledger 5) River Phoenix

By: hnnrs

hnnrs — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:40:17 -0800

The funny, well not funny, but odd, thing is how much his Joker looks like Brandon Lee's Crow, which was similarly posthumously released. Just a coincidence I guess.

By: Maias

Maias — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:41:14 -0800

If it's true that he was clean for a year and recently relapsed, it's especially awful because such deaths are predictable and potentially preventable. If you must relapse-- and you aren't trying to kill yourself-- start with a very, very low dose. Your body doesn't have a tolerance any more: the dose that used to barely get you off can kill. It's particularly sad when people die of ignorance around this stuff. Of course, when people relapse, they tend to be in a "fuck it" state of mind and might not care: but at least if you know about dramatically reduced tolerance after abstinence, you know you are taking an excess risk.

By: puke & cry

puke & cry — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:41:38 -0800

Hm, someone upthread mentioned the last picture of him taken on saturday but there's another supposed last picture of him allegedly taken yesterday. It was on gawker but isn't there anymore. I don't have any way to verify that though.

By: cazoo

cazoo — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:41:38 -0800

Deaths come in threes. Who's next? Don't forget Suzanne Pleshette. So Ledger makes three. (Renfro being the first)

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:41:44 -0800

What a shame. I'm reminded of Hank Williams, who also OD'd, in 1953 at age 29.

By: Kiell

Kiell — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:42:04 -0800

By: annieb

annieb — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:43:08 -0800

Such a waste of talent, whether this was an accidental or purposeful death. I feel bad for his daughter, and for his ex, who will have to somehow explain to a two-year-old that daddy isn't coming back. And from what I've seen, he adored his daughter.

By: puke & cry

puke & cry — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:43:22 -0800

Ah, here's the gawker post.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:48:17 -0800

Turaho: "Allow me to be more succinct. How long do you have to wait after someone dies to start pulling stuff out of your ass about them?" I have files listing things I want to say about famous people when they die. Many of you are turning this into a personal attack against me, which is quaint, but if you ever expect any obit thread in MeFi to be nothing but a lovefest, you gotta nother think coming. The beautiful thing about MeFi is there's a wide spectrum of opinions that get to be expressed, and they are all equally valid and viable. Not just yours. Not just mine.

By: spec80

spec80 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:48:49 -0800

According to police sources: -two drugs were found at the scene - one prescription, one not. -The maid or housekeeper called Mary Kate Olsen and her security team responded to the apartment adding to initial confusion with reports that it was her apt. It currently appears not to be hers. -there is no reason at this time to think that the death is anything but accidental == Ok I'm leaving work now. I hope my replies here weren't too morbid, but they are the facts as they come. And no, I don't know why the maid/housekeeper called an Olsen.

By: nakedcodemonkey

nakedcodemonkey — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:49:13 -0800

The City Room section that this post links to is a blog, so there's no editor and no corrections. The City Room runs under The New York Times masthead. It's self-described as "supplementing the New York/Region coverage of The Times" (emphasis added). Format is irrelevant; it's the Times doing news coverage. They have a responsibility to acknowledge when they're printed facts that turned out to be incomplete, wrong, or misrepresented. They can find the time to actively moderate comments but can't be arsed to keep a simple footer noting that substantial corrections of fact have been made. Pathetic. They don't even take responsibility inline. "Police officials initially said that the apartment was owned by the actress" could at least be "Based on initial reports from police officials, the Times briefly reported that..." "Suicide likely in Ledger's death." Fucking hell. I know what it's like to write a headline under deadline pressure, but it never calls for making shit up. Amen.

By: bicyclefish

bicyclefish — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:49:18 -0800

Fly, fly, shitty little celebrity blogs! This is your moment to shine!

By: gesamtkunstwerk

gesamtkunstwerk — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:50:11 -0800

I have to say that I was very touched by how well he played gay, and I appreciated the way he did it. He didn't pander to gay audiences, he didn't try to make himself look heroic. He seemed like a pro who respected his subject matter. I felt a sense of gratitude towards him. I'm not really very interested in stars (I don't even recognize them when I pass them on the street during the Toronto film festival, and I've never even visited Perez Hilton), but I find myself very sobered by the news. I hope people will lay off the speculation as to the cause. Whatever the cause it's terribly sad.

By: Avenger

Avenger — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:50:56 -0800

By: rokusan

rokusan — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:57:49 -0800

if Anna Nicole Smith warranted a week of national mourning, a celebrity with actual talent and charisma passing on so young should lead to at least of month of tribtue and investigation... Your faith in the media is disturbing. No giggling boobs to plaster on TV daily = three day story, tops. (I liked Ledger, too.)

By: zardoz

zardoz — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:58:45 -0800

For me it was John Belushi. For me it was River Phoenix. When Brad Renfro passed the other day, and when any young actor dies, it takes me back to when River Phoenix ODed outside the Viper Room (not that I was there or anything). I remember having recently seen the third Indiana Jones film, and while his role was pretty small, he did a dead-on sort-of impression of Harrison Ford. I remember thinking, "OK, this guy is good". Had he lived he would be an A-lister by now, maybe the head of the pack. Phoenix was shedding his boyish looks and becoming handsome instead of just pretty, so he would be next to Brad Pitt in the heartthrob department. Heath Ledger was a good actor, though all I really saw of him was Brokeback Mountain, and a few minutes of A Knight's Tale. Sidenote: after watching the Batman Returns trailer, I noticed a striking resemblance (in my mind, anyway) between Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, also a great up-and-coming actor. I thought it would be cool if those two played brothers in some movie. Too late now.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:58:47 -0800

...maybe its time we have a national discussion on why our young, talented artistic class continues to waste itself on narcotics, and what, if anything, can be done about it. Not to mention our young, not-necessarily-talented working class wasting itself on meth.

By: malaprohibita

malaprohibita — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:00:19 -0800

This is so not the gallows humor thread I was expecting. Was it only a year ago that we mocked the death of Anna Nicole Smith?

By: nakedcodemonkey

nakedcodemonkey — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:00:52 -0800

giggling boobs Hey, your boobs can giggle? I feel so ripped off; mine don't even snicker.

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:01:59 -0800

The beautiful thing about MeFi is there's a wide spectrum of opinions that get to be expressed, and they are all equally valid and viable No, Zach. That's the beautiful thing about Candy Land...

By: ooga_booga

ooga_booga — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:04:09 -0800

Forget it Zach, it's CandLand.

By: ooga_booga

ooga_booga — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:04:30 -0800

Or ooga can't bloody preview land.

By: dosterm

dosterm — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:06:18 -0800

Avenger: "I know the cause of death is up in the air at this point, but if it is indeed drugs (accidental or otherwise) then maybe its time we have a national discussion on why our young, talented artistic class continues to waste itself on narcotics, and what, if anything, can be done about it." My guess is that the young, talented artistic class is just the class we pay the most attention to, while poor people and minorities continue to fall victim to crime, drugs, and despair, and it's business as usual without all the hoopla. And before I let that sound like I don't care about Heath Ledger, let me be sure to state that I think this a true tragedy. Regardless of the cause. I just don't want to only have discussion about drugs because they messed up the Batman sequels.

By: Dennis Murphy

Dennis Murphy — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:08:23 -0800

Very sad. Let's not go crazy yet! Just because she owned it doesn't mean it's the apartmen she lives in.... she might not even know him. Do you personally know the person who owns the apartment you rent? I don't. posted by ThePinkSuperhero You couldn't come up with a dumber comparison if you tried.

By: crossoverman

crossoverman — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:09:30 -0800

By: MadamM

MadamM — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:14:38 -0800

By: cillit bang

cillit bang — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:24:22 -0800

By: carsonb

carsonb — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:25:00 -0800

I noticed a striking resemblance (in my mind, anyway) between Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, also a great up-and-coming actor. They costarred in 10 Things I Hate About You. I enjoyed Heath's work in every film of his I saw. RIP

By: mediareport

mediareport — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:27:37 -0800

They can find the time to actively moderate comments but can't be arsed to keep a simple footer noting that substantial corrections of fact have been made. Pathetic. Agreed. The NYT has a reader's representative. This would be a fine question to ask him.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:28:29 -0800

Oh, and Zachsmind has really been on a contrarian "look at MeMeMe" kick lately. He's heading for a timeout, is my bet. Just ignore him.

By: Mintyblonde

Mintyblonde — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:30:28 -0800

By: empath

empath — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:31:59 -0800

I know the cause of death is up in the air at this point, but if it is indeed drugs (accidental or otherwise) then maybe its time we have a national discussion on why our young, talented artistic class continues to waste itself on narcotics, and what, if anything, can be done about it. Come now, they aren't all wasting themselves on narcotics. There are lots of wealthy, young, creative people doing lots of drugs that are doing just fine. And the ones that aren't doing illegal drugs are probably on legal painkillers, anti-depressents and stimulants. It's not drug use per se that's the problem, it's EXCESSIVE drug use.

By: deCadmus

deCadmus — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:32:51 -0800

. Rest easy, mate.

By: bwg

bwg — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:43:27 -0800

MetaFilter: who can be the biggest asshole? On topic: unexpected. Too young. It sucks. .

By: delmoi

delmoi — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:43:55 -0800

He loved whatever killed him more than he cared about you. Over the counter sleeping pills? WTF?

By: every_one_needs_a_hug_sometimes

every_one_needs_a_hug_sometimes — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:47:13 -0800

By: delmoi

delmoi — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:49:21 -0800

(oops, I failed to keep up to date with the thread)

By: empath

empath — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:49:58 -0800

why our young, talented artistic class continues to waste itself on narcotics Also, I think that while it's possible to do creative work without being tormented or suffering, I think the kind of drive that pushes people to creative peaks only comes from a certain kind of personality, which also happens to be the kind of personality that easily becomes self-destructive and destructive of people around them.

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:50:04 -0800

This is very sad. If you haven't seen Brokeback Mountain, see it and watch Ledger's mouth. It is a perfectly still, taut line for basically the whole movie. He is really amazingly good. The comparison to fake cartoon-person celebrities is spurious.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:51:38 -0800

Zardoz! Oh yeah! River Phoenix! He was awesome in Sneakers. Showed so much promise. Loved him in Stand By Me. Thought he took an impossible role in Last Crusade and turned it into sheer gold. The guy was so going places. That was a crying shame. Sam Kinison! Man, he'd just cleaned himself up (for the umpteenth time but still) and it's a drunk driver that takes him out. That had me in shock for a week. That wasn't irony. That was God's sick twisted idea of a joke. Chris Farley. What a force of nature he was, huh? Damn. Mitch Hedberg. Wow. Dee Dee Ramone. Sid Vicious. Dana Plato. ...what? ...no? If you guys can have Heath Ledger on this list, I can have Dana Plato.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:51:48 -0800

Deaths come in threes. Who's next? Ledger was three. Bobby Fischer and Suzanne Pleshette were 1 and 2. Fucking hell. Why. Fucking why. People like doing drugs. Wealthy movie stars have easy access to drugs. Drugs sometimes kill you.

By: flatluigi

flatluigi — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:53:26 -0800

God. I absolutely hate it when something happens to someone who I just know has such great things to do and it's just... over. Goddamnit. .

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:54:25 -0800

why our young, talented artistic class continues to waste itself on narcotics Yeah, it's a fucking tragedy. When it happens to somebody unlucky enough not to be attractive, rich, famous etc...well, who cares?

By: flatluigi

flatluigi — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:58:42 -0800

jonmc: "Yeah, it's a fucking tragedy. When it happens to somebody unlucky enough not to be attractive, rich, famous etc...well, who cares?" For one, the people who care are the people who know and love them and the people who hate it when someone's hurt by drugs. For two, just because someone's famous, rich, or attractive doesn't mean you should dislike them. It certainly doesn't mean you should be such a jerk to people who actually feel sad that the rich, famous, or attractive person is dead now.

By: schyler523

schyler523 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:58:47 -0800

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:04:50 -0800

For one, the people who care are the people who know and love them and the people who hate it when someone's hurt by drugs. Yes, but I seriously doubt anyone here actually knows this guy. For two, just because someone's famous, rich, or attractive doesn't mean you should dislike them. Perhaps, but it's our duty to cut them down to size. Look, I was mainly objecting to the way the comment imply that it was some extra-special tragedy when the 'talented artistic class' (whatever that is) loses somebody to self-dectruction as opposed to when it's just any random person.

By: padraigin

padraigin — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:05:43 -0800

Oh please, ZachsMind. Sid Vicious was completely talentless and a totally manufactured persona...having him on your list just shows that you're as susceptible to hype as the average Britney watcher.

By: dbiedny

dbiedny — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:06:57 -0800

By: stammer

stammer — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:07:28 -0800

Perhaps, but it's our duty to cut them down to size. He's dead. I'd say that cuts him down pretty well. There's no need to resent a corpse. why our young, talented artistic class continues to waste itself on narcotics People with serious insecurities are attracted to the performing arts. Ledger always came off as being pretty grounded to me, but you can never tell with actors.

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:08:31 -0800

Yes, but I seriously doubt anyone here actually knows this guy Proof that you didn't even bother to read the whole thread before starting your usual routine.

By: divabat

divabat — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:09:37 -0800

I first saw this on an acquaintance's blog and went "wait, what?!". Because he was one of the last people I'd expect to hear this about - and I don't even follow celebrity gossip anymore. just. just wow. how sudden life can be. .

By: nax

nax — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:12:34 -0800

Awful. This brought back to me the similar death of a close highschool friend, now almost thirty years ago. Famous Broadway actor, unattended suspicious death possible accidental overdose. Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid. god.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:15:28 -0800

smoke crack mountain (sorry, couldn't resist)

By: hojoki

hojoki — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:16:41 -0800

I really appreciated his acting and I'll miss the great contributions to film he surely would have made.

By: Frasermoo

Frasermoo — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:17:32 -0800

Sid Vicious was completely talentless and a totally manufactured persona Sid made quite an impression on a generation through his work.

By: tkchrist

tkchrist — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:17:38 -0800

Everybody wants to be young, attractive, rich, (and, most want to be, famous). It's a pretty dumb thing to hold against somebody just 'cause they died. See ya, Heath. You had chops, kid. .

By: Shebear

Shebear — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:19:40 -0800

Horrible. I live in his old neighborhood, and he struck up a conversation with me once about my dog. He was a very sweet.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:21:51 -0800

Everybody wants to be young, attractive, rich, (and, most want to be, famous). I dig your funky vibe, tkchrist, but that's nonsense. I'd rather be old, because I can be grumpy and unhygenic and nobody will care. I'd rather be unattractive since then I don't have to maintain my appearance. Being rich could have it's pluses but it requires work or luck, and I'm lazy and not particularly lucky. Being famous would suck because the there's tons of people up in your business.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:22:25 -0800

You wound me, padraigin! SID VICIOUS WAS A SAINT!

By: tkchrist

tkchrist — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:23:12 -0800

Perhaps, but it's our duty to cut them down to size. What? Becuase he was younger, better looking, more talented, better liked, and welathier than you? Aim low, bro. Aim low. It's your duty to shut your mouth and give everybody else who cares a moment to show their respect. Do you go to funerals and stand up and say "Yeah, but Jim was an asshole."

By: sneakin

sneakin — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:23:59 -0800

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:25:31 -0800

posted by jonmc it's our duty to cut them down to size. No, it isn't. People who think so are just deeply insecure and jealous assholes.

By: crossoverman

crossoverman — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:26:29 -0800

Metafilter: I'd rather be contrary because your favourite actor who just died sucks.

By: padraigin

padraigin — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:26:46 -0800

Sid made quite an impression on a generation through his work. Ha. No, Malcolm McLaren did. Sid was just a dumb guy who did dumb things that were turned around and presented as a statement by a guy with a vision. It's just kind of goofy that someone would hold up this guy whose sole contribution to the universe was as a kind of junkie court jester, who had no artistic merit and who could not be said to have invented his own aesthetic merit, as a Dead Person of Relevance. Purely my opinion, of course. I'm sure that plenty of real scholars would love to describe how Sid actually invented the now-legendary No Hands Technique that revolutionized bass playing or something, but how it was sadly overshadowed by his chopping of himself to ribbons with razors.

By: R343L

R343L — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:27:42 -0800

By: scody

scody — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:28:14 -0800

Sid Vicious was completely talentless and a totally manufactured persona Maybe so. But John Simon Ritchie was a young, shy, vulnerable young man -- a boy, really -- who got fucked up on drugs and was completely overwhelmed by a notoreity only fractionally of his own making. He, like Heath Ledger, was a real human being, with people who knew him and loved him, and fans who may not have known him personally, but were personally affected by him all the same. A little compassion towards each of them costs you nothing.

By: amyms

amyms — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:29:08 -0800

By: Kwantsar

Kwantsar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:29:16 -0800

Four days before Australia Day, no less.

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:30:24 -0800

TMZ is reporting that "...Heath Ledger was sick with pneumonia when he died today in NY."

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:31:33 -0800

awww. This is sad news. He was only 28 years old! A beautiful 2 year old daughter too. aww, so not fair for her and for his recent ex, Michelle Williams. Got to be agony for her and will be misery for his kid. His ex seems to be a good person and he seemed to be a decent man too, also working on his sobriety this last year. He accomplished a lot since he took off at 16 to be an actor. Well liked and popular, handsome, healthy, rich and successful. Plenty of creative variety in his life, producing music videos as well. He was recently supposed to be dating a 20 year old supermodel. His death reminds me also of Owen Wilson's recent suicide attempt. It seems so unlikely. It had to have hurt to be working on his sobriety, break up with his ex, the mother of his child, in September, when his daughter is so young, then do the holidays alone in NYC. The look of those Gawker photos makes it seem he was working on some kind of dark role. The Joker role seems like a dark one too. I wonder if the roles and actor chooses get under his or her skin to the point of causing them depression or inner turmoil? Don't know if he will be added to the actors who committed suicide list but an accidental overdose of prescription and non-prescription sleeping pills prompts me to think he must have been struggling with anxiety or depression. He had a turbulent relationship with paparazzi photographers. Then again it's said he was sick with pneumonia when he died today. But then why wasn't he in a hospital? Pneumonia is not a mere cold. I truly loved him in Brokeback Mountain and think he changed the world for the better with his portrayal. It was astonishing how he vividly, intelligently he conveyed the difficulty for that man to express his emotions and yet also the intensity of those emotions at the same time. An unforgettable and beautiful movie, imo. No doubt over the next few weeks the stories will come out. Whatever it was, the suddenness of it with him so young is very sad. Loving thoughts to Michelle, their friends, his family and daughter.

By: brandz

brandz — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:32:37 -0800

By: paperpete

paperpete — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:33:04 -0800

I told my 70-year-old father that Heath Ledger was dead - nothing more than that. "Oh, right, I see. I've only seen one film he's been in. Drugs, I suppose." Such a blossoming talent, a squalid assumption and an untimely death. .

By: SassHat

SassHat — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:33:23 -0800

Can I get a ~~witness~~ MeTa in here?

By: CitizenD

CitizenD — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:33:47 -0800

i'm really surprised by how much this saddens me. i'm not a huge celebrity watcher, but i had high hopes for heath ledger after "brokeback mountain." controversy aside, that was one of the most beautifully tortured performances i've ever seen. ennis made my heart ache. i was genuinely looking forward to a long career (provided that he continued with the edgy stuff and didn't fall back on schlock) i was in this thread earlier, and it started to get stooooopid ugly. left 'cause it was pissing me off. came back, nothin's changed. oh well. that'll learn me to come back.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:34:40 -0800

Sid Vicious was completely talentless... Uh, wasn't that kind of the point of punk? The whole DIY, let's bring the whole raw energy thing back to rock? Talent had become overblown and worshipped for its own sake, al that? and a totally manufactured persona Not so sure about that. Sure, they made a movie about him, and he was promoted by his record company, just like any other big rock act gets promoted. But "totally manufactured?" I dunno... I always thought he was basically just kind of a dumb lout with a bass guitar, who got really lucky for a brief while.

By: Avenger

Avenger — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:36:01 -0800

Look, I was mainly objecting to the way the comment imply that it was some extra-special tragedy when the 'talented artistic class' (whatever that is) loses somebody to self-dectruction as opposed to when it's just any random person. Whoa whoa whoa there, jonmc. Thats 180 degrees from what I was trying to say. Believe me, I've lost (or nearly lost) several friends and family to self-destruction, and none of my friends or family can be called "famous" or "talented" in any real sense -- so I'm well aware that we shouldn't just care about these issues just because maybe Ledger had drug problems. I guess I was trying to get at the seeming contradiction between talented, creative people who seemingly have the world at their feet -- yet still manage to destroy whatever stability they have -- or even destroy themselves in the very real sense. It seems to go against our understanding of what makes people tick. I think you could also argue, using Rock Hudson as an example, that the death of a high-profile (and universally beloved) celebrity is exactly the right time to talk about the cause of that death, especially if it also involves millions of us "normal" folks.

By: saturnine

saturnine — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:37:12 -0800

. Devastated. Such a waste of talent.

By: robcorr

robcorr — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:38:17 -0800

He was from here in Perth, Western Australia. Apparently he was a knob at school. I couldn't stand him at first, but I think his acting has improved. I'm really looking forward to his Joker. .

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:40:47 -0800

PaperPete's father is teh awesome! Heath's family, who were not reportedly there with him when he died, say he died of pneumonia, and that drugs were not connected to the cause of his death. That's good enough for me. I'm convinced. How about you? I stand corrected. Ledger could not have possibly loved pneumonia more than he loved fame. Chicken pox maybe, but not pneumonia.

By: rooftop secrets

rooftop secrets — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:41:25 -0800

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:41:40 -0800

posted by SassHat Can I get a witness Whenever Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, Clean favored, and imperially slim. And he was always quietly arrayed, And he was always human when he talked; But still he fluttered pulses when he said, "Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked. And he was rich—yes, richer than a king— And admirably schooled in every grace: In fine, we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place. So on we worked, and waited for the light, And went without the meat, and cursed the bread; And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head. --Edwin Arlington Robinson 1869–1935

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:42:12 -0800

...one of the most beautifully tortured performances i've ever seen. ennis made my heart ache.

“Mr. Ledger magically and mysteriously disappears beneath the skin of his lean, sinewy character. It is a great screen performance, as good as the best of Marlon Brando and Sean Penn.” -- Stephen Holden | New York Times

By: robcorr

robcorr — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:43:18 -0800

Actually, looking at a list of his performances, I did like some of his early stuff. I remember watching the kids show "Sweat", which was not bad and he was certainly better than the others, and "Blackrock" is an awesome movie. But then there was "10 Things" and "Two Hands", and nothing good until, say, "Ned Kelly" or thereabouts.

By: about_time

about_time — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:44:55 -0800

By: bondgirl53001

bondgirl53001 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:45:51 -0800

I'll be brutally honest and say that I was never the least bit interested in anything he's been in except 10 Things, and my junior year of high school was filled with teenage fantasies about Patrick Verona. Am curious about Dark Knight. But to me, he'll still always be Patrick Verona. That is all.

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:46:40 -0800

An Untimely Death -- "Heath Ledger refused to take the pretty boy's path to Hollywood success."

By: gesamtkunstwerk

gesamtkunstwerk — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:52:18 -0800

I read that too, ericb. It was a beautiful performance. I don't really like celebrity per se, but it just seems like the decent thing to do to not talk about the cause until it's been determined. I don't say this as a grieving fan ( I really don't feel a connection to actors), I say it as someone who hates cheap moral lessons and assumptions.

By: hurdy gurdy girl

hurdy gurdy girl — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:53:05 -0800

I found his performance in Brokeback Mountain very moving. This is too bad. I liked Heath Ledger--he was talented. Most of all though, this is very sad for his daughter. .

By: Mikey-San

Mikey-San — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:53:08 -0800

I stand corrected. Ledger could not have possibly loved pneumonia more than he loved fame. Chicken pox maybe, but not pneumonia. Edgy as fuck. Why are you still in this thread?

By: spish

spish — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:53:17 -0800

hell damn crap ... reaction between the two drugs cause something awful? time will tell, but won't bring him back. what a waste of talent.

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:54:08 -0800

I always admired his work. The news made me unaccountably sad. I don't care how or why it happened, but I find myself reminded again of how lucky I am that when I pass, too few people will notice to bother gossiping about it.

By: zippity

zippity — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:57:16 -0800

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:59:39 -0800

Ennis Del Mar, R.I.P.

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:01:16 -0800

Edgy as fuck. Uh-huh. Are we moving into callout territory yet, or...?

By: Jilder

Jilder — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:03:33 -0800

By: KingoftheWhales

KingoftheWhales — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:06:24 -0800

Yeah this traveled around amazingly quickly; I must've gotten at least a dozen text messages starting around 2 pm PST. It is a shame, though, that someone as young and as talented as he was had to go. .

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:08:48 -0800

By: orange swan

orange swan — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:10:42 -0800

This is very sad, and unexpected. So young, so talented, and with a young daughter who never got a chance to know him.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:13:51 -0800

Part of the reaction is the apparent incongruity of Ledger's outward appearance of normalcy. Chris Farley and John Belushi appeared clearly unhealthy long before their deaths. Ledger looked like a talented, harmless, relatively normal dude.

By: samthemander

samthemander — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:13:51 -0800

By: fuse theorem

fuse theorem — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:16:54 -0800

By: 45moore45

45moore45 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:20:23 -0800

By: jlbartosa

jlbartosa — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:22:51 -0800

By: pearlybob

pearlybob — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:30:26 -0800

. So very, very sad. His portrayal of Ennis had so much depth of soul. The tension in his mouth just spoke volumes. He will be missed. Prayers for his loved ones.

By: elphTeq

elphTeq — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:30:56 -0800

Yes, behold my lord Ulrich, the rock, the hard place, like a wind from Guilderland he sweeps by blown far from his homeland in search of glory and honor, we walk in the garden of his turbulence. Here's praying the next cultural tragedy won't be amy winehouse, another great talent of our Age.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:34:59 -0800

His role in Brokeback was so great that it was obnoxious to see Gyllenhaal on screen with him. I've never seen a pair of actors featured prominently where one is so badly out-acted by the other. Ole Jake really hurt that movie. I don't think Jake was a problem for the film except in that he was much less believable playing older than himself. It's true, though, that Ledger outacted him by underacting, and then underacting even more. I was blown away by his haunting, haunted performance, among a cast of many understated performances, thanks to Ang Lee's brilliant direction (including Kate Mara, who played Alma Jr. at the end, doing a pitch-perfect impression of her "dad"). He was the real thing. I expected a long, incredible career. Thoughts for his wife and daughter. .

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:37:22 -0800

Here's praying the next cultural tragedy won't be amy winehouse, another great talent of our Age. Amy Winehouse Photographed In Crack Binge. Amy headed to rehab. Err, wait, what? Amy Winehouse Not In Rehab.

By: Diskeater

Diskeater — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:39:12 -0800

I always thought he was the guy that played Wolverine in the X-Men movies and the non Christian Bale magician in The Prestige. I learned today that he was, in fact, neither of those roles (Hugh Jackman, who is probably alive). It's still sad.

By: mattoxic

mattoxic — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:44:59 -0800

Maybe Heath had shares in Citigroup

By: wowbobwow

wowbobwow — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:49:30 -0800

Here's praying the next cultural tragedy won't be amy winehouse, another great talent of our Age. Surely you jest, sirrah!

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:58:46 -0800

Cool Papa Bell: "Part of the reaction is the apparent incongruity of Ledger's outward appearance of normalcy. Chris Farley and John Belushi appeared clearly unhealthy long before their deaths. Ledger looked like a talented, harmless, relatively normal dude." 0.o So if you're fat, people expect you to die, but if you are pretty... yeah. huh. Belushi had more talent in his middle finger than anyone prancing about Hollywood today has in their souls. Being "normal" has nothing to do with it. How dare you.

By: edmcbride

edmcbride — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:00:14 -0800

By: porn in the woods

porn in the woods — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:02:06 -0800

Excellent essay on Heath's career and untimely passing from SF Chronicle movie critic Mick LaSalle. Damn, he was skilled at his craft. R.I.P.

By: cowbellemoo

cowbellemoo — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:04:33 -0800

Aw. I remember seeing the Dark Knight trailer and thinking, man, whoever that actor is (I just didn't recognize him as Heath), he's managed to find a freakish and wonderful take on the joker. And then someone mentioned that it was Heath and I was like, oh man, Ledger is at the start of an amazing career.

By: Senator

Senator — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:05:47 -0800

I work for a living and it looks like stuff happened.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:06:46 -0800

posted by ZachsMind So if you're fat, people expect you to die, but if you are pretty... yeah. huh . . . How dare you. Cool Papa Bell didn't say anything about being fat or pretty, Zach.

By: mattoxic

mattoxic — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:08:42 -0800

Belushi had more talent in his middle finger than anyone prancing about Hollywood today has in their souls. Jim or John? Jim is awsome as a quirky-play-by-his-own-rules cop who has to team up with a police dog to bring down Mr Big as well as get the girl. He also plays an asshole who cashed in on his brother's fame.

By: puritycontrol

puritycontrol — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:12:51 -0800

So sad. Just saw I'm Not There on Friday. He was great in it. Not to mention that I've watched The Dark Knight trailer 100 times already...

By: Cycloptichorn

Cycloptichorn — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:13:51 -0800

By: Navelgazer

Navelgazer — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:17:24 -0800

I'd never given much thought to Heath Ledger before, but now that I'm thinking over what I've seen of him, I think that's probably to his credit. He didn't form a cult of personality around himself, though he probably could have. He married a famous actress who co-starred with him in his most celebrated and high-profile role, and later split up wit her after having a child, and yet the only time he (and she) used their celebrity to make hay and get headlines was for a cause in their community that they cared about deeply. This, combined with his massive talent, meant that whenever I'd see him in something, I wouldn't see Heath Ledger, but whatever character he was embodying from the very depths of it's being. We mention A Knight's Tale and 10 Things I Hate About You, two movies that should've sucked royally, and yet were actually pretty good, almost entirely because of Ledger's dedication to the material and his ability to elevate it. His portrayal of Ennis in Brokeback Mountain is one of the best in decades. The best test of an Actor's ability is how they work without much to say. Reactions, body language and the like show what they're truly capable of. Ledger showed himself to be the tops at that, while barely even changing his expression, letting the full array of desires and self-hatred and anguish play through a outwardly inert visage. We can say that acting isn't serious work, but hopefully we can at least respect someone who treats it as such without the normal James Lipton pretensions about it. I think there's something deeply perverse about responding to public grief over a lost public figure and saying, "Boo, there's no reason to care, you didn't even know him!" but I understand the repulsion towards treating celebrities as if they were close friends or family as well. Somewhat strangely, I'm looking at the two sides from the perspective of a Cracked article and a South Park episode, but whatever. I think we latch onto celebrity so much more nowadays because we have more contact with it in many ways than we do with the people in our own lives - strangers, coworkers, even friends and family, and there's something very wrong about that. Still, as Kyle says, just because something isn't real doesn't mean it can't touch us or affect our lives. We didn't need to know Heath Ledger personally to have been moved by his performances or hell, even just affected by the experience of seeing one of his movies. It's been said above that mourning is a selfish activity, and I suppose it is, because it is really about dealing with our own mortality and reassessing how to live our lives with the absence of another. However, I find it just as selfish to discount the mourning over a celebrity because you can't imagine that they were thinking of you at their moment of death. Mourning over someone lost doesn't require a defense or explanation, and respecting the dead is not dependent on questioning why we should care. .

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:18:30 -0800

So if you're fat, people expect you to die, but if you are pretty... yeah. huh. Oh, give me a break, that's not what he meant. It's about the fact that it's sad when anyone dies, but it's more shocking when someone dies when it wasn't known they were flirting with danger. Everybody knew that Farley and Belushi were doing things that could and probably would kill them someday, but it wasn't public knowledge with Ledger. Everyone assumed his life was fine and dandy, because we didn't have any evidence that it wasn't.

By: sweetkid

sweetkid — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:18:51 -0800

I live in his old neighborhood too, and always saw him at the coffee shop in the morning. He was unfailingly cheerful and sweet. Argh, so sad!

By: emperor.seamus

emperor.seamus — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:24:27 -0800

By: turaho

turaho — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:28:35 -0800

For a guy you didn't even know existed until a few hours ago, ZachsMind, you sure are spending a lot of time in this thread trying to take him down a notch. Why is that?

By: wastelands

wastelands — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:28:40 -0800

By: pmbuko

pmbuko — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:29:29 -0800

Celebrity deaths don't normally affect me, but when I heard the news on NPR on my drive home this morning, affected is exactly what I felt. So sad. .

By: sweetkid

sweetkid — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:30:09 -0800

I wish they would do the Oscars for real now so they can add him to the tear-inducing dearly departed montage. The only part of those shows I really like.

By: bruce

bruce — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:35:37 -0800

i'm stunned. i'm not enough of a cineaste to have an opinion about his filmography, but he seemed like such a young, vital guy.

By: applemeat

applemeat — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:39:28 -0800

Zachsmind, if i were you, I'd put the cap back on the vodka and go to bed now. Perhaps you intend your comments here in this thread to be daring and insightful, but they're coming across as mean and dull.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:41:43 -0800

I think Heath Ledger could turn out to have been Hitler makes a baby with Nico, Keith Moon, River Phoenix, Pol Pot, Stalin and Idi Amin and he overdosed on Unicorns souls, Cancer Patients Ungranted Last Wishes and Aborted Babies Potential Futures and Zach's Mind would still come off as an attention seeking blowhard and pathetic troll in this thread. as frankly he comes off in most others, you seem smart zach, why not check in with a psych doc on some meds or something.

By: headspace

headspace — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:42:54 -0800

There's this strange disconnect between a writer's words on the page and the way they sound coming out of someone's mouth. Even when it's not your work, you start to notice the tics, the little lies- the actorness in a performance. It takes a lot of the pleasure out of going to the movies, honestly. I always believed Heath Ledger. No matter the role, even in a generally silly movie like A Knight's Tale, I absolutely believed in who he was for that moment. When he was shut out of the Oscars for Brokeback Mountain, I was disappointed- but I thought- he's young, he's incredibly talented, his time will come. And now it won't. And that just breaks my heart.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:53:10 -0800

In this YouTube video Heath Ledger talking about his role as The Joker, that he enjoyed it, had fun playing an empathyless sociopathic clown. But also he seems to fidget a lot, be intensely uncomfortable in his skin, like wanting to race out of there. Strange to see somebody so vital and then in a body bag. It makes life all the more mysterious, that our bodies contain this amazing gift -and burden- of our lives. Navelgazer, your comment has me thinking how any of us know anybody. Or value a person in one's life. huh. Do I mourn a person less because of not knowing the person with more than one sense? Do I love anyone less because I speak to them on the phone and don't see them? Or only email them and don't hear them? Or only read their books and don't have dinner with them? Or only listen to their music, enjoy their art and not touch them? Connecting with others can be done in any number of ways. It seems like a one way connection but the artist, actor, musician, poet, singer has offered something of themselves and I may connect with that offering. They don't see how I've connected with them but I did. And it can have a tremendous impact on my life, sometimes even greater than people I do touch or talk with in person. I've spent more time in the company of Heath Ledger in his movies than a whole bunch of relatives I can think of, been more positively moved as well, felt grateful for what he offered. And I've carried the memory of his acting in Brokeback with me since I saw it a couple of years ago. I don't know you, don't know what you look like, haven't touched you, don't know the sound of your voice but my words will connect with you, as yours did with me. It makes sense to me to mourn an artist, singer, actor, writer whose creation has becomes a part of my life, my thoughtstream, memory, enjoyment of the world. They may not be family and I may not have touched them, they may not have known I existed, but I don't think that's a requirement for feeling both the loss and feeling tenderly for those more directly connected with the person who died. Anyway, just wanted to thank you for your comment.

By: Fupped Duck

Fupped Duck — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:56:39 -0800

Another needless MTv Crib-death. My condolences to his fans friends and family, I'll be here all week. Try the veal and remember to tip your waitors!

By: tiger yang

tiger yang — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:57:05 -0800

This news makes me sad. And so do some of the comments on here. I’ll take solace in this, though: People who do great things leave behind a legacy and the history books to remember them. The brine of opportunistic trolls who scream from behind a keyboard will typically be remembered for absolutely nothing. .

By: phearlez

phearlez — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:00:57 -0800

If it's my duty to cut reasonably talented but troubled people down to size posthumously then feel free to write me up a poor performance review. Mitch Hedberg. Wow. I saw him live about three months before his death and I can say the only 'wow' I had about it was that it took 12 weeks. Very sad; he was so fucked that he had trouble keeping up his act, which revolved around a disjointed and random delivery. As far as the NYT thing, don't be remotely shocked. They do that all the time, and it's an embarrassment. They wrote something that touched on the actions of my darling girlfriend's employer some months ago. They called bullshit on it in the comments and, rather than approving the comment, contacted them and expanded the story by several paragraphs, including quotes as if the 'interview' had been a part of the original story. So the story goes from having an unfounded, unverified assertion from a book author shilling his shit to suddenly having four paragraphs of response in it - as if they put the basic effort into calling and talking to the people being talked about in the article. Four hours later. With no indication it ever appeared in any other form. The fact that they don't demand better of themselves is amazing.

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:03:07 -0800

Sleep well man, and sleep peacefully.

By: DevilsAdvocate

DevilsAdvocate — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:03:48 -0800

People who do great things leave behind a legacy and the history books to remember them. Some people who do great things are remembered by history. Other people who do great things are unknown and unremembered, but that makes them no less great. Which is not at all to demean those who are great and remembered, but I find the idea that one must be remembered to be great utterly absurd.

By: gesamtkunstwerk

gesamtkunstwerk — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:09:36 -0800

Celebrity deaths don't normally affect me, but when I heard the news on NPR on my drive home this morning, affected is exactly what I felt. So sad. . Exactly. I'm not sure if I'm just grateful for his sensitive portrayal of a gay man, or sad because his persona touched hard-hearted little old me. If nothing else, Ledger tried to draw attention to his work as an actor, not on himself as a star. There are actors I admire more, but there was something about his lack of pretension that really got to me. I'm surprised that I'm still following this thread. But i am.

By: desuetude

desuetude — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:15:27 -0800

So if you're fat, people expect you to die, but if you are pretty... yeah. huh. No. I'll explain. Belushi and Farley had well-documented longterm substance abuse problems. Someone posted upthread similarly that it was well known that Brad Renfro had a lot of drug problems. If Amy Winehouse lives out the year, people will say the same thing about her: Talented people, what a fucking shame that they made headlines for drugs instead of their work and managed to poison themselves, but hey, it's not a huge surprise considering how fucked up they were. Heath Ledger, despite having apparently been in rehab, did not have a long public struggle. Any issues with alcohol or pills did not apparently interfere with his work. So, see, his death was more surprising news.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:16:49 -0800

So if you're fat, people expect you to die, but if you are pretty... yeah. huh. I've never ignored anyone as hard as I'm ignoring ZachsMind right now.

By: Frasermoo

Frasermoo — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:33:23 -0800

Heath Ledger, despite having apparently been in rehab, did not have a long public struggle. Any issues with alcohol or pills did not apparently interfere with his work. So, see, his death was more surprising news. so his death is more tragic than those who have had struggles with drugs and depression? alot of the dots are not true comiserations, simply an easy key stroke I'll add one though . shame for a young a guy to die. on preview, a simple dot is a cop out. add a comment.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:34:58 -0800

A few words about a death being ruled a suicide: I had a dinner with a coroner a few weeks ago and the subject of suicide came up. I asked him why so many deaths that obviously seemed like suicide were ruled "accidental." Apparently, the burden of proof is very very high on suicides. A lot of the reason is that insurance pays on accidents, but not on suicides. If a coroner rules a death a suicide, the family can contest it in court and the coroner's case has to be ironclad to stand. Gunshot? Not always definitive. Sometimes guns just go off. Sometimes they go off against your head. There almost always has to be extra factors...depression, medical problems, social problems. Same with hanging. Could be a sexual thing. Auto-erotic asphyxiation. I've seen it several times. You'd be surprised. Overdose? Accident, unless there's a note. And, the note has to be very specific. It literally has to say, "I'm killing myself." The coroner had once lost a case where the letter said, "I'll see you all in Heaven," because the family argued that the individual was very religious and he said stuff like that conversationally all the time. People accidentally overdose all the time. Especially on sleeping pills. (If one makes me sleep for eight hours, six will let me sleep for 48 hours!) Or, you forget that you've already taken one, so you take another, and another, and another.

By: Frasermoo

Frasermoo — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:37:25 -0800

uh mate, that really is fucking pushing the boat out for a comment to post.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:39:48 -0800

Uh, ok.

By: Frasermoo

Frasermoo — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:39:55 -0800

..and it really doesn't contribute anything to the whole thing does it?

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:41:57 -0800

so his death is more tragic than those who have had struggles with drugs and depression? Huh? I read it as more surprising.

By: Frasermoo

Frasermoo — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:41:58 -0800

i mean it, it is relevant, but not for here bud.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:43:52 -0800

My apologies.

By: craichead

craichead — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:45:02 -0800

so his death is more tragic than those who have had struggles with drugs and depression?

Sigh. No. It seems likely that he had struggles with drugs and depression. It's just that we didn't know about it, because unlike a lot of other movie stars, he managed to keep his private life out of the public eye. That makes his death more shocking. It doesn't make his death more tragic. Ledger's death is not any more tragic than the apparently totally senseless and unnecessary death of any other twenty-eight-year-old guy. What makes his death resonate with people is not that he was rich and famous. It's that being rich and famous didn't save him from a fate that has befallen so many other people, including in a lot of instances people we've cared about. People don't mourn Heath Ledger because he was awesome and lucky. They mourn him because in the end all his good fortune didn't amount to that much. I bet most people would rather not have the good looks, the money, the fancy apartment, the Oscar nomination if it meant getting to see their kids grow up.

By: jonp72

jonp72 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:48:40 -0800

I remember reading an article in Salon when Robert Downey, Jr. got jailed for failing court-mandated drug tests. The gist of the article was that Hollywood has an easier time accepting a famous actor as a drunk or a drug abuser, but has a much harder time embracing a performer if he or she is frank about having mental health issues. Whether his death objectively qualifies as a suicide, I despair whether the same mentality was at work in Heath Ledger's death. .

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:54:10 -0800

What the hell, FraserMoo, were you talking to ColdChef? If so, you're wrong and boring, and he was right and interesting. Guess who won the fight.

By: lassie

lassie — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:55:17 -0800

Actually, frasermoo, if your comment was aimed at ColdChef, I found his contribution quite informative, since I'd just been wondering how easy it is to overdose on sleeping pills. Plus, any comment that starts, "I had dinner with a coroner ..." is a keeper in my book. If you were talking to someone else there, please ignore this. Also, I was saddened by this news. Ledger's performance in Brokeback Mountain touched me, like it touched millions of other people. Regardless of whether it is seemly to mourn the passing of someone you don't know in real life, for the two hours or so that I sat in that movie theater watching him, I felt like I did know him, even if only as the character he played, and so I mourn his passing. No matter how he died, it's a shame, since he was talented, and he entertained those of us who watched his movies.

By: rhizome23

rhizome23 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:04:26 -0800

This thread has already generated a competitive number of comments to the initial post documenting 9-11. Think about that. Proof.Overview.

By: grabbingsand

grabbingsand — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:12:15 -0800

Yeah, so trying to call out ColdChef on his insightful contributions to this thread, particularly since ColdChef is an undertaker by trade -- and, it bears mentioning, just generally beloved by most MeFites anyway? Uncalled for.

By: kosher_jenny

kosher_jenny — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:18:44 -0800

Not to mention that most of the crap that's going on in this thread is a result of speculation that the overdose was deliberate. Coldchef's comment was informative, and, like grabbings said, insightful, especially compared to a lot of the noise in here.

By: Tehanu

Tehanu — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:25:02 -0800

Fuck. I have a terrible memory for actors, but he always impressed me. I'd hoped this wasn't true when I first heard. I'm sad to learn it is. .

By: pmalek

pmalek — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:25:48 -0800

somebody sent me an IM that just said "I wonder if he broke his back. too soon?" I had to sent back a "???" reply. then, the same link used in this post was sent back to me. All I could think was "damn." I actually had to build up the courage to tell my wife. we were both fans. my first exposure was probably "10 things" We both liked it quite a bit. great chemistry. now, i thought his short but powerful performance in "Monster" was great. just a sad story whether it was on purpose or not.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:26:57 -0800

This thread has already generated a competitive number of comments to the initial post documenting 9-11. Think about that. At the time of commenting, though, it's still 104 behind Steve Irwin's death. I'd just been wondering how easy it is to overdose on sleeping pills Not an objective answer, but if you're talking about accidental overdoses, the risks rise significantly (as with ODs from other kinds of downers) if alcohol is involved. A few stiff drinks, followed by a thoughtless "hey, I'm exhausted & really need to sleep well tonight - might take six instead of two", combined with the depressive effects of the alcohol, and off you go.

By: brujita

brujita — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:32:01 -0800

. SPOILERISH I loved the last scene of Brokeback Mountain (which wasn't in the original story) where he came through and did the right thing for someone he deeply loved.

By: brujita

brujita — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:32:22 -0800

His character.

By: fourcheesemac

fourcheesemac — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:33:05 -0800

Yeah, you lay off ColdChef, dude!

By: humannaire

humannaire — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:33:14 -0800

FYI, all Carol Burnett is still alive (at least according to my frantic Wikipedia search). Whew! You, too?

By: crossoverman

crossoverman — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:39:08 -0800

This thread has already generated a competitive number of comments to the initial post documenting 9-11. Think about that. Proof. There's a full 100 posts less in this thread as I type this response. Out of nearly 500 in that 9/11 thread, that's a considerable percentage difference. One suspects there's a heap more members of MetaFilter now than there was six years ago.

By: interiority

interiority — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:42:30 -0800

Heath Ledger broke my heart in Monster's Ball and Brokeback Mountain. Now it's happened again. What a mess.

By: Tehanu

Tehanu — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:47:08 -0800

Thanks for the information, ColdChef. I never know what to think about the speculations of drug abuse and suicide that seem to immediately become part of the reports of celebrity deaths. So the information does help.

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:47:55 -0800

. I too have no idea who he was. But I know Brokeback Mountain touched a lot of people and that's too young to die and too sad a way to do it.

By: pearlybob

pearlybob — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:47:57 -0800

ColdChef, thanks for the info. I had a texting convo earlier about the ability to od on sleeping pills. Glad you weighed in.

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:13:14 -0800

He married a famous actress who co-starred with him in his most celebrated and high-profile role... Actually, they never did get married. /pendant/

By: Bighappyfunhouse

Bighappyfunhouse — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:17:04 -0800

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:18:52 -0800

Such a sad, sad shame, all that talent and potential wasted. You know he was loved when even the hipsters running the local movie rent house have 10 Things I Hate About You playing tonight on the store's TV screen. He will be missed.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:41:19 -0800

The reports stated there were both prescription sleeping pills and over the counter. As well as anti-depressants. Ambien was mentioned. I was curious about how many Ambien might constitute an overdose. Individuals have fully recovered from Ambien overdoses up to 400 mg (40 times the maximum recommended dose). This surprised me: Federal health officials warned that all prescription sleeping pills may sometimes cause sleep-driving. People taking such drugs as Ambien have reported getting up in the middle of the night and going for a drive, with no recollection of doing so.

By: flabdablet

flabdablet — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:55:27 -0800

All you people who have only seen Brokeback Mountain and A Knight's Tale: at the very least, go rent Candy. I've lived with junkies. Heath Ledger's junkie is absolutely spot on. It's a great pity he won't be making any more films. He was good.

By: ericb

ericb — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:58:10 -0800

nickyskye -- erratic behavior while taking Ambien has been noted and of concern in the past few years.

Ambien May Prompt Sleep-Eating. Concern Over Ambien And Driving. Study Links Ambien Use to Unconscious Food Forays. FDA Says Pills Can Cause 'Sleep-Driving'.

A notable example is that of Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)

Rep. Kennedy Crashes Car Near Capitol.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:02:10 -0800

Rep. Kennedy Crashes Car Near Capitol. That could be genetic.

By: Ynoxas

Ynoxas — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:13:59 -0800

I think it is unfortunate anytime a young person dies. And doubly so when that young person is a parent of a small child. It seems to me that being rich and famous greatly increases one's odds of an untimely death. Fame should be feared, not sought.

By: Mikey-San

Mikey-San — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:18:45 -0800

It seems to me that being rich and famous greatly increases one's odds of an untimely death. Perhaps it simply increases the likelihood that people who don't personally know you will hear of your untimely death.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:20:26 -0800

Chalk me up as another person who doesn't follow celebrity culture but was still really shocked and dismayed to hear this. Of course, leaving behind a young daughter and his family in such a seemingly senseless way is the real tragedy, and one that happens all too often to 'real people' as well, but Ledger was one of the few film actors I found really interesting - the comparison to Johnny Depp is spot-on, I think - and despite amazing work in BBM and Monster's Ball, he still hadn't reached his full potential. Damn. .

By: MetaMan

MetaMan — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:53:57 -0800

By: nicolas léonard sadi carnot

nicolas léonard sadi carnot — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:16 -0800

Just posting to say that ZachsMind sucks.

By: emelenjr

emelenjr — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:45 -0800

pedant. /pedant This news must have broke just as I was winding up for the day, because in my random surfing (and MeFi refreshing) on Tuesday, I totally missed it. Heard about it from my mom on the way home, who gave me the play-by-play as she watched (sigh) Fox News. So sad for his family. I hope it truly was accidental.

By: lodev

lodev — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:07:11 -0800

. And a . from the kittehs as well.

By: nthdegx

nthdegx — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:11:19 -0800

"If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice." .

By: zarah

zarah — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:40:13 -0800

Sometimes I think we need a flag for crazy. Speaking of which, the westboro baptist church is planning on picketing Ledger's funeral because of his role in Brokeback. Not going to link to their site, but the announcement is on their front page. Hope he's laid to rest in Australia and that these nuts can't get near his family, sheez. .

By: Curry

Curry — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:55:58 -0800

Why so serious?

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:10:28 -0800

Large chunks of this thread make Baby Muhammad cry.

By: vapidave

vapidave — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:15:33 -0800

396 comments for someone that plays make-believe? Ick.

By: mattr

mattr — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:18:48 -0800

By: wemayfreeze

wemayfreeze — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:20:06 -0800

And a . from the kittehs as well. I was doing fine until you posted the gorram lolcats. Jesus this sucks.

By: Goofyy

Goofyy — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:29:10 -0800

To those wondering "why", I can only offer speculation. I haven't read all the hundreds of comments, maybe I repeat someone else. A good actor becomes his role. This sets that actor on an emotional roller coaster. This is why so many crack under the strain. Perhaps why especially the younger ones crack. The actor enters the role (And it is certainly said to be the case for Heath), lives the role. But the role acquires a life of its own, and who knows where that leads? The stories of temperamental stars are as old as Hollywood. Consider, that's why some get so much work, yet always play the same character, just different names and pictures. They aren't acting that much. Then there are those that take on other roles, and really act. Good acting is, in some ways, deliberate insanity. Why drugs? What would you expect of someone who can't shake off a role, and knows they are not their self? If not to seek a return of selfdom, then perhaps simply to seek oblivion, meaning it to be temporary. Heath Ledger is dead, but I wonder, was it Heath Ledger who died, or someone else, perhaps the insane Joker? Maybe we'll know, maybe not.

By: peacay

peacay — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:37:36 -0800

rhizome23, congratulations on your successful audition for weird. I hate the way the media in Oz try to syphon the blood out of Aussie actors (actually, anyone that's media-worthy that manages something notable offshore) who become successful in major films. It's all "king of Hollywood" and "toast of NYC" or some other snip of aggrandising fawnication with pap bites from school mates and exes to sheet home all responsibility for this awesomeness to vegemite and beach culture. All served with up a generous helping of moral imperative to worship at the foot of the Aussie "icons" or "heroes" or some other pedestrian tabloidesque hypberbole. [I'm speaking here of the living, breathing people - gawd only knows what sort of longlasting infusion of gossip and maudlin indulgences will be foisted on us all by the faux newsfotaintment industry now that the poor bastard has passed on] I hate it because it make it easy to become cynical and dismissive and derisive of people who do actually have talent and are able to touch a heart-string or three in an artistic endeavour. So I'm glad I managed to sidestep the local hype and my normal reaction this time and see a few of Ledger's films. He seems like he had a broad emotional range that he could tap into and came across a fairly down to earth sort of guy. I'm sorry for his family (who gave a very brief on camera statement from Perth a little while ago) and particularly his daughter. Thanks mate.

By: nthdegx

nthdegx — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:01:49 -0800

I notice that people are also very interested in Keith Ledger at the moment, whoever he is.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:22:40 -0800

Ledger's obituary from BBC.

By: DenOfSizer

DenOfSizer — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:50:43 -0800

. Brokbak Kitteh wishes he cud kwit u.

By: h00py

h00py — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:05:18 -0800

Mark me down as stunned and saddened by his death. He was too young to die, he was an excellent actor (Two Hands would be a fantastic film if they edited out the silly ghost brother bit and his performance in Candy was amazing), and there's a wee girl who's only going to know her daddy through pictures and movies and other people's opinions. And you know what? I'm a bit of a morbid bitch so sometimes I like to read the death notices and 'in memoriam' bits in the paper, and I can get teary about them sometimes too. 99.9% of those people weren't close, personal friends either. Still sad when someone carks it way, way too early.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:21:35 -0800

You know he was loved when even the hipsters running the local movie rent house have 10 Things I Hate About You playing tonight on the store's TV screen. I realize that it was only a teen comedy (despite its Shakespearian bent), but had it ever come to pass before that such a talented and energetic cast been set up with such terrible, terrible writing? I mean, I enjoy watching it because the cast sells it so well, but some of the dialogue is excruciatingly bad.

By: RokkitNite

RokkitNite — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:23:38 -0800

By: m0nm0n

m0nm0n — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:25:22 -0800

I've never been a big celebrity follower but I couldn't believe this when my girlfriend told me last night. He's so young and had always seemed grounded and ok...at least, he was never one of the celebrities I'd heard about being surrounded by drama and legal issues. Nthing the sentiment that he was fantastic in [i]Brokeback[/i]. I can't wait for [i]Batman[/i] to come out as I've been looking forward to his performance. Regarding people being cocks in memorial threads: I, too, have been shocked and amazed at the amount of attention certain celebrities and their associated deaths have gotten in the past. But I don't think it's wrong to mourn the loss of an actor (by whatever means) any more than it is wrong to mourn the loss of a painting to a vandal, or a statue to a hammer, or a building to a fire. We all seek relaxation and quality entertainment in our own ways, and mourning a lost source is a natural reaction. It's a shame that some people's choice for quality entertainment is shitting on other people's heads.

By: m0nm0n

m0nm0n — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:25:55 -0800

Damn UBB code!

By: gman

gman — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:27:57 -0800

his father says he was selfish.

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:31:07 -0800

Man, and I loved Roar. Never saw any of his other work.

By: farishta

farishta — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:51:50 -0800

his father says he was selfish... 39 seconds in I believe he said 'unselfish' and you heard 'a selfish.'

By: snap_dragon

snap_dragon — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:27:08 -0800

By: languagehat

languagehat — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:33:52 -0800

his father says he was selfish. Wow, taking trolling to a whole new level—not content to simply insist on how little you care, like the average troll, you feel the need to shit on his grieving father. Way to go. Do us a favor and flame out soon, OK?

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:47:00 -0800

Jeebus christ, betwen this gman stuff and the ZachsMind stuff and assorted others, this thread is a frikkin disaster. What is it about this poor fellow's death that's brought out so many jerky comments? The mind boggles.

By: ND¢

ND¢ — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:29:52 -0800

I just saw this and think that it encapsulates how I feel about this perfectly. We now return to your regularly scheduled troll feeding.

By: desuetude

desuetude — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:31:48 -0800

so his death is more tragic than those who have had struggles with drugs and depression? alot of the dots are not true comiserations, simply an easy key stroke I'll add one though . shame for a young a guy to die. on preview, a simple dot is a cop out. add a comment. I didn't say "more tragic." I said "more surprising." If this is your idea of a substantive comment, please consider sticking to dots.

By: cass

cass — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:33:11 -0800

.......

By: spinturtle

spinturtle — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:44:52 -0800

. the poor boy

By: h00py

h00py — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:48:54 -0800

Circle jerk? Do you really think that people are sad because other people said that they were sad? I'm sad because an actor that I thought a great deal of died young. I commented in this thread because this is my favourite website and this post was on it. Why do you think that people commenting in this thread think that his death is worse than anyone else's? As I mentioned above, I'm sad about non-famous people's deaths all the time, particularly if they've died young. Why should the fact that Heath Ledger was famous make his death worthy of ridicule?

By: juliplease

juliplease — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:57:05 -0800

To the foot-stompers in this thread wondering what makes him so special and why we aren't paying more attention to you, I suggest you go out and do something public, or important, or better yet, both. Then perhaps---hopefully many moons from now---your eventual demise will be mentioned on Metafilter. When that happens, you can either tally up your score or you can accept the fact that when people gather to publicly mourn the death of someone famous, it isn't as though the deceased has unfairly won some cosmic competition. It's just that they were a public/important figure and that makes it a public/important event. Like many have said in this thread, I am surprised how sad I am to hear this news. He was talented and I happened to think he was goddamn beautiful. My sympathies to his family. .

By: Horace Rumpole

Horace Rumpole — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:02:55 -0800

I just saw this and think that it encapsulates how I feel about this perfectly. Best Week Ever is moralizing about our celebrity-obsessed culture? Has a blacker pot ever called out a kettle?

By: yerfatma

yerfatma — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:07:05 -0800

i think you're sad because, well, you're a sad individual conformist. As opposed to the photo on your profile page, which makes it clear you're an edgy, Devil-May-Care firebrand and a complete original. Life snuffed out when it's young always stirs peoples' emotions; even if they didn't know the person directly, it serves as a stand-in for their own fears and their own concerns they might kick off before they've done everything they want to do. It's not hard to figure out. Outside of your immediate circle of sockpuppets, I can't imagine what this conversational tack might net you.

By: h00py

h00py — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:10:26 -0800

Well, strange as it may seem to you, mr gman, whether one person commented in here or 5000 it still wouldn't change the fact that I find the idea of an extremely talented person dying before the age of 30 terribly sad indeed. If other people find it sad also well, I empathise with them. If you don't find it sad, bully for you. I just think your argument that ohh boohoo people die everyday and no-one cries for them so anyone who cries for this dude must be a sheep to be pathetic and completely off-topic. As I said above, go make your own thread about all the sad and lonely people dying in the world. I'd probably feel bad for them too. Who cares whether 399 other people agree with me (or you?)

By: hexxed

hexxed — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:10:49 -0800

This is very sad and a tragic loss.

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:12:17 -0800

I flagged a chunk of gman's posts as abusive. By the way, we post obits of people we never heard of all the time here, from the old lady who'd had no visitors for the last 20 years of her life to kids who came to tragic endings and even, yes, Darwin Award winners that we laugh at. Sometimes there are posts for famous people that you don't like. Unless it's Henry Kissinger or someone comparably evil, best to just ignore them.

By: turaho

turaho — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:14:19 -0800

I'm sure gman, ZachsMind, et al will be pleased to know that the Westboro Baptist Church has announced they will protest Heath Ledger's funeral. Thank God that Fred Phelps isn't a sad conformist, eh gman?

By: phearlez

phearlez — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:16:49 -0800

I'm confused - was it ever up for debate that people are most impacted by the death of someone close to them, less so for folks who they don't know but know of, or are familiar with, and even less so by the death of complete strangers? I'm not all that worked up over Ledger's death - I enjoyed some of the things he did but he wasn't a favorite actor of mine. I'll even cop to the fact that my first thought was "I hope his contribution to the Batman movie is done - the trailers looked good and he looked good in them." But that's no reason to be overtly nasty to people who are saddened they won't get to enjoy any new contributions from him to the world, however little you might care about them. What's the point of that? If you, I, and two of your high school buddies were out for a drink and one of them said to you "hey, you remember Jim, the quarterback on our high school team? He got hit by a car!" would it be appropriate for me to castigate you for expressing any sadness at all? "What do you care? You didn't really know him! Plenty of other people died in car wrecks the same day! Why don't you talk about THEM?" Because we didn't know them, or even know of them. So we talk about the people who we have in common, either by mutual knowledge or reputation, because mortality is one of the things we all share and to some extent fear. Talking about them doesn't lessen those we do not talk about because we are not aware of them, and not going out of our way to attack those who never harmed us doesn't deify them. All it does is allow us to take some comfort in the world where we might be next and deal with our pain in living in a condition where the things we like are inevitably taken from us, whether they be lovers, mothers, actors, painters, musicians, or the person who always smiles then they sell us a bagel.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:17:29 -0800

i think you're sad because, well, you're a sad individual conformist. What's sad is desperately trying to call attention to yourself in an obit thread by generally being a disagreeable asshole. Look, either MeTa it if you don't like it, or move on to the next thread.

By: exlotuseater

exlotuseater — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:24:22 -0800

yeah, MeTa it and flame out plz. jerk. Heath Ledger > gman

By: dirtdirt

dirtdirt — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:25:33 -0800

Shocking and sad. Yes, obviously, anyone dying young is sad, and people die literally all the time. But mourning the loss of an actor or celebrity doesn't belittle other deaths. It just acknowledges that we humans are gregarious, social animals, whose technology has allowed us to 'know' some people that we don't know. Some people are 'known' by millions of people. Heath Ledger was one of them. Acting, even in Hollywood, is an artistic pursuit. It is intended to touch your emotions. I have a common emotional experience with many of the people in this thread, and millions of other people worldwide, because we felt similar things while watching Brokeback Mountain, or A Knight's Tale, or whatever. That commonality of experience is pretty much our culture. It's not universal, but it is one of many threads that makes up who and what being alive, here, now feels like. His untimely death hijacks that network, and sends across a different signal. I'm not even a fan of Heath Ledger, particularly, and this phenomenon is not specific to him. But he is a poignant example because he was quietly good, not obviously crazy or self destructive, and so very young.

By: 235w103

235w103 — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:27:22 -0800

Well, I took it to MeTa. As I tried to make clear there, I don't think we need to shy away from speaking ill about the dead, but having three or four people post basically the same comment ("WHY DO YOU GUYS CARE") and then engage in the SAME discussion FOUR times in the body of a thread just seems sort of ridiculous. Maybe you guys can get together to elect a representative who will post once about how much we shouldn't care.

By: cortex

cortex — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:47:37 -0800

Jesus christ. gman, be a mensch and take it to that metatalk thread. Or just cool off in general. But don't keep this up. I know these things are touchy, and I'm not about to suggest that obit threads should be free from negative opinions, but there's been a surprising amount of antagonistic baiting in this one. Staking your right to state your opinion on opinions so badly and baldly expressed not just toward some dead guy but your fellow mefites is pretty much not the way to make this place work. That goes in both directions. Maybe let's do the talking-about-Heath stuff here and the yelling-at-each-other thing in Metatalk.

By: gman

gman — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:57:38 -0800

By: darkstar

darkstar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:10:42 -0800

Talented young man....a very touching performance in Brokeback Mountain. So very young. .

By: Evangeline

Evangeline — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:38:36 -0800

The Prozac or anti-depressant he needed, if truly a suicide, might sadly have taken a bit off his acting. I wonder if he knew that and cared more about his craft? Yes, but if he'd taken the Prozac or antidepressant he might actually be ALIVE to work on his craft. I'm speculating, of course, but I do believe it is very difficult to accidentally overdose on Ambien. As others have said, the likelihood increases if it's taken in conjunction with alcohol or another medication. In that case, it may have been accidental. I thought he was wonderful in "Brokeback Mountain".

By: Ynoxas

Ynoxas — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:39:38 -0800

It seems to me that being rich and famous greatly increases one's odds of an untimely death. Perhaps it simply increases the likelihood that people who don't personally know you will hear of your untimely death. posted by Mikey-San at 1:18 AM on January 23 What I mean is that the pool of young famous actors and actresses is relatively small, maybe what, 2000 if you are very generous with the word "famous"? And, it seems an unusual number, given the size of the pool, meet untimely ends. If you had a town of 2000 people and had 2 dozen od's and suicides a year, I think it would certainly raise eyebrows. And for some reason, it seems that other means of death are unheard of. There certainly seem to be more "regular joes" dying in car wrecks and of sudden illnesses/diseases than famous people, even in percentage terms. But, "seems like" is not a valid statistical method, I realize.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:50:59 -0800

The Prozac or anti-depressant he needed, if truly a suicide, might sadly have taken a bit off his acting. Awesome. Another ill-informed comment about both depression and anti-depressant medication. Can we close the thread now?

By: agregoli

agregoli — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:58:48 -0800

Yes, please. Good lord.

By: Dantien

Dantien — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:59:09 -0800

Wow, I feel bad for those in this thread who lack the sensitivity and compassion to not only mourn the death of a young man who entertained and brought joy to so many through his art, but to feel it's socially acceptable to make those who are saddened by his death feel worse about their own emotions. Did you folks get raised by wolves? How can you lack simple empathy for your fellow man? I seriously wonder if you have any real friends at all. Back to topic, I am deeply saddened by Heath's death both for the lack of future performances by him (selfish) and for the loss of a father for his daughter (unselfish). I was eating at Nobu in SoHo a year or so ago with about 5 women. He was eating at the table next to us. I've never felt more invisible in my life. And for a celebrity having his dinner interrupted by a nervous gaggle of ladies staring, it's hard to find any as gracious and kind as he was about it. A good man who made alot of people happy is gone. It's fully appropriate to mourn. .

By: konolia

konolia — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:01:51 -0800

The Prozac or anti-depressant he needed, if truly a suicide, might sadly have taken a bit off his acting. Awesome. Another ill-informed comment about both depression and anti-depressant medication. Can we close the thread now? posted by psmealey at 11:50 AM on January 23 [+] [!] Well, now, hold on. As a previous consumer of such things as Zoloft, etc. etc. there is some truth to the belief that it "takes the edge off" one's creativity. I certainly experienced it, and from the other creative people I have talked to it isn't an uncommon side effect with some of these meds. Not one that cannot be overcome, but still. Of course, death puts a complete full stop on creativity, as does severe depression. Sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do. FWIW, the more I read the less this seems like a suicide...an accidental overdose is not that hard to accomplish. Heck, half the time I had a problem remembering if I had taken MY meds or not, and a time or two took either too much or not enough. Now factor in being a little sleepy or a little drunk...also factoring in that alcohol increases the effects of sedatives (something I also know about from my young and stupid days...)

By: desuetude

desuetude — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:22:16 -0800

FWIW, konolia, the NY Times obit says that there were no signs that he was drinking. (I don't actually disagree with your comment, though.) Did someone contact the readers rep? Interesting that the article in the City Room blog now does disclose that a correction was made regarding the whole "apartment owned by M-K Olsen thing.

By: gemmy

gemmy — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:23:30 -0800

This is the one celebrity death in years that's really got me both sad and puzzled. Sad for myself and for the public at large, as well as for his family and daughter. I was so looking forward to the Joker as he portrayed him, who looks to be a deeply disturbed and depraved character. Maybe you can't pull off that kind of performance, which I hear is absolutely amazing, without some darkness in your soul? Unfortunately, watching any of his work will now always be a little bit tainted by sorrow for his untimely death. It is always a very sad thing to see such talent go away - losing someone who has brought joy to many people, and who we thought would continue doing so for years to come.

By: Mastercheddaar

Mastercheddaar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:08:37 -0800

He was one of those actors that I really never knew the name of, I only knew him from movies... I would always say Hey isn't that the guy from Knight's tale. I liked him in that. I always wanted to see The brother's grimm. I didn't know he started in that one. Maybe it's time I watched it. Not to be that guy but I never saw Brokeback and don't really care to. It's like Titanic, Cloverfield, and other movies that get hyped up. I don't like hype too much or being told what to see. I'm sure they are awesome movies but I really don't care. Either way sad to see him go. He's my age w/ a young daughter..... wow very very sad. Mastercheddaar

By: Samuel Farrow

Samuel Farrow — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:33:32 -0800

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:59:57 -0800

This thread has already generated a competitive number of comments to the initial post documenting 9-11. Most of the comments in the 9/11 post were comments, not dots.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:20:14 -0800

By: crossoverman

crossoverman — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:26:25 -0800

Most of the comments in the 9/11 post were comments, not dots. Most of the comments in this thread aren't dots either.

By: LeeJay

LeeJay — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:42:07 -0800

Count me in as another one surprised by how hard this hit me. Ledger was an amazing actor and had such a bright future ahead, career-wise. I never knew him personally or even spent that much time thinking about him but I'm near tears here for some reason. I guess I just assumed that he would be around for a good, long while, taking on tough roles that the "pretty boys" wouldn't touch and delivering them brilliantly. R.I.P., Heath. You'll be missed.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:49:06 -0800

Most of the comments in the 9/11 post were comments, not dots. Yeah, that was seven years ago, Metafilter was just a smaller place...

By: crossoverman

crossoverman — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:23:54 -0800

I guess I just assumed that he would be around for a good, long while, taking on tough roles that the "pretty boys" wouldn't touch and delivering them brilliantly. R.I.P., Heath. You'll be missed. He was brave with his choices, resisting being pigeon-holed. He could have done teen comedies for way too long, but he decided to hold out for better roles even if that meant not working for a while. He mixed Hollywood with Australian films, big budget with small artistic fare. There were a lot of actors approached for Brokeback Mountain that just wouldn't go there. It didn't phase Ledger at all. And he pulled off the greatest performance of his career. Pity the Oscar competition was so strong that year - he deserved all the recognition he got for Ennis Del Mar. Man, as if it wasn't depressing enough watching Brokeback. Now even moreso...

By: mediamelt

mediamelt — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:44:49 -0800

By: ericb

ericb — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:41:56 -0800

Fox News Host John Gibson Mocks ‘Weirdo’ Heath Ledger’s Death: ‘He Found Out How To Quit You’

"Opening his radio show with funeral music, Fox News host John Gibson callously mocked the death of actor Heath Ledger, calling him a 'weirdo' with a 'serious drug problem.' Playing an audio clip of the iconic quote, 'I wish I knew how to quit you' from Ledger’s gay romance movie Brokeback Mountain [which in 2006 Gibson called 'a gay agenda movie'], Gibson disdainfully quipped, 'Well, he found out how to quit you.' Laughing, Gibson then played another clip from Brokeback Mountain in which Ledger said, 'We’re dead,' followed by his own, mocking 'We’re dead' before playing the clip again. Throughout the course of the show, Gibson continued to bring up Ledger’s death while discussing current events, jokingly claiming that current events may have caused him to commit suicide."

You stay classy, John Gibson.

By: cillit bang

cillit bang — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:36:43 -0800

Metro had two stories on the cover today: A big picture of Heath Ledger alongside Stress at work can be a killer.

By: Phire

Phire — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:18:35 -0800

Heh. I rewatched "Ten things I hate about you" today. And I couldn't connect Patrick Verona with Heath Ledger. My brain wouldn't process his death. It was sort of... weird.

By: grouse

grouse — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 03:38:22 -0800

Best Buy cashes in. Another reason not to shop at Best Buy, if you didn't have enough already.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 07:31:01 -0800

I thought John Gibson was killed in the first X-Men movie.

By: middleclasstool

middleclasstool — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 07:43:14 -0800

Jesus, I don't know who deserves the bigger punch there: Gibson or Best Buy.

By: malaprohibita

malaprohibita — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 07:45:36 -0800

Shit, you should have seen the way Princess Diana sold.

By: arcticwoman

arcticwoman — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 08:52:20 -0800

Wow, I just came here to link the Westboro Baptist Church announcement (discussed by Pharyngula here) and saw a) that it has already been discussed and b) the Best Buy link. I actually find the Best Buy thing worse than the Westboro picketing. I mean, we all expect Phelps to be loony.

By: cillit bang

cillit bang — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:48:58 -0800

The Best Buy callout is kind of reaching isn't it? A lot of people probably did "grieve the only way they know how: By reliving the romantic hijinx that is 10 Things I Hate About You". God forbid they adjust their store layout to match. (and that looks an awful lot like a pointless can't-help-themselves dig at the second best Julia Stiles movie)

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:54:53 -0800

It's a really top-notch high school romance movie. Digging at it is indeed pitiful. The first thing I wanted to do was watch it, because his performance is so full of life, so exuberant. The singing scene? Sweetest thing ever. And what's the very best Julia Stiles Movie? (I have a big crush on her.)

By: 4eyes

4eyes — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:52:09 -0800

"Many will accuse those mourning Ledger of self-indulgence and ersatz emotionalism. But there is a more generous side to our shock - and, naturally, there is a familiar line ready to express it: any man's death diminishes us, because we are part of mankind." Sarah Churchwell on our response to the death of a stranger. And for what it's worth this late in the day, a rather lazy link-dump of The Guardian newspaper's coverage: "...his striking handsomeness went hand-in-hand with high ambitions as an actor, courage in the roles he took and a fierce intelligence." David Thomson "What a desperately sad day for Heath Ledger's friends, family and fans - and that third group includes me." Peter Bradshaw The Guardian's obituary. On the internet's response. And... "The loss of Ledger represents the latest in a series of major production setbacks for the trouble-plagued Gilliam." The potential effect on Terry Gilliam's new film. All (and more) here: http://film.guardian.co.uk/heathledger

By: rtha

rtha — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:48:46 -0800

And what's the very best Julia Stiles Movie? (I have a big crush on her.) I loved her in the very interesting The Business of Strangers, with Stockard Channing.

By: Jody Tresidder

Jody Tresidder — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:30:05 -0800

Thanks very much 4eyes . (Not at all too late for some of us!)

By: cillit bang

cillit bang — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:26:06 -0800

And what's the very best Julia Stiles Movie? "She was dying while I was dancing", duh. Actually more often than not it's "10 Things I Hate About You" also.

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:52:21 -0800

Radio Hosts of 'Morning Joe' Blast Gibson’s Ledger Comments: ‘Sick,’ ‘Unconsciable,’ ‘Mean-Spirited’ And ‘Hateful’. Gibson Defends His Mockery Of Ledger’s Death: ‘No Point In Passing Up A Good Joke’. Outrage Rises Over John Gibson Remarks on Heath Ledger.

By: crossoverman

crossoverman — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:03:53 -0800

The best Julia Stiles films are the Bourne movies. Gibson Defends His Mockery Of Ledger’s Death: ‘No Point In Passing Up A Good Joke’. When you find a good joke, Gibson, then tell it. Until then, shut the fuck up you despicable, moronic, ugly human being.

By: hadjiboy

hadjiboy — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:23:46 -0800

I think he's going to be bigger than Batman in that role. The Warner Bros. site has put up a picture of him on their Dark Knight's page. Really sad to see him go so soon, and sudden.

By: ericb

ericb — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 15:11:19 -0800

Gibson addresses controversy over his comments on death of actor Heath Ledger. Morning Joe panel pans Gibson's ‘awful joke of an apology’ after his ‘anti-gay tirade’ about Ledger's death:

“On Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski described John Gibson's statement in response to the firestorm over remarks he made concerning the death of actor Heath Ledger as ‘an awful, awful joke of an apology,’ and later asserted that it was ‘not an apology.’ After airing Gibson's statement, Joe Scarborough said, ‘What he said was, 'I'm sorry if you were offended. ... I'm sorry if you were offended that I mocked the death of a young man.' ‘Scarborough also asserted that Gibson ‘got caught in an anti-gay tirade.’”

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:34:38 -0800

Maybe it's the makeup... but Heath's death after playing The Joker keeps making me think of Brandon Lee in The Crow. He died right before the film came out and it made that film much more creepy and poignant.

By: grouse

grouse — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 15:02:27 -0800

miss lynnster, Brandon Lee died during the shooting of The Crow while they were filming the scene in which his character died. Far creepier.

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 15:18:38 -0800

Well yeah, there was that little fact too. But The Joker's still gonna be creepy.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:51:18 -0800

You've probably seen this in the news, but the toxicology results have been released. Some drug experts wonder how suicide could be ruled out considering the amount of drugs Ledger consumed. "He was playing Russian roulette," said Patti Geier, a New York-based psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker. "I was thinking when I heard (about the findings), 'How do they really know for sure it was accidental? How do they know for sure he wasn't thinking when he took them - I've had enough'." Prof Gnegy went one step further when told of Geier's "Russian roulette" analogy. "I think it is more certain than Russian roulette," Prof Gnegy, who specialises in pharmacology, said. "Russian roulette you may have one bullet out of six. "When you add all of those drugs together that deck is really stacked." She did indeed take the analogy one step further, and I, for one, thank God that another technical expert steered clear of creative writing.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:09:32 -0800

"Mr. Heath Ledger died by acute intoxication of hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, doxylamine". Vicodin, Valium, Restoril, Xanax, Nyquil. It looks from that list like he really needed therapy for intense anxiety.

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:55:33 -0800

How do they really know for sure it was accidental? Well, it seems the merciful thing to speculate.