Tuesday, January 22, 2008

only the good die young.



Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon at his apartment in Manhattan by his masseuse and housekeeper. According to news reports, sleeping pills were found at his bedside; his death is being treated as a possible suicide. Gawker.com posted a video of Heath in a body-bag, exiting the apartment building on a gurney. He was 28 years old.
I had a fair-weathered crush on Heath when I was in junior high school, and saw him in 10 Things I Hate About You. He was the flavor the week during the teen film explosion, and I'm sure I replaced him with another, "love of my life," soon after. But unlike the Freddie Prinze Jr.'s of the time, Heath turned his career around and began to gain respect as a serious actor. His role as Ennis in Brokeback Mountain earned him an Oscar nomination, and he recently wrapped up his role as The Joker in the upcoming, much hyped-up, The Dark Knight.

Heath's star was definitely rising, and despite rumors of his struggle to keep clean, his death came as a complete shock. Regardless, it's always tragic when someone so young goes before their time.

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