You’ll all have heard by now of the tragic death of Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight star Heath Ledger in his New York apartment yesterday.
The last 24 hours have been full of conspiracy theories, sadness, reaction, and grief. Not only from family and friends, but also the many millions of fans Ledger had around the world.
The first medical examination of his body has now taken place, and the results were reported to be inconclusive. The medical examiner has said that it will take about 10 days for the results. This is unfortunate as it will just add fuel to the rumours that there was more to Heath’s death than first meets the eye.
Whatever the cause, the whole of the movie industry has been shocked and saddened by the loss of such a promising young actor, and someone many people admired as just a nice guy.
His friends and colleagues have paid their respects and shared their grief over his premature death.
Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain director told Hell.Ca:
“Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life.”
While Mel Gibson said:
“I had such great hope for him. He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss.”
And Khaled Ali (stage manager for a Broadway show) eulogised:
“I felt a connection with him as an actor, as a fellow in the theater community. With Brokeback Mountain he touched me personally in telling the story of my community. It was very touching.”
There’s no doubt Ledger will be missed dearly, and my thoughts go out to everyone who knew him personally. This is certainly going to make watching The Dark Knight a unique experience this summer.
