I only know Heath Ledger from his movies but because he’s from Perth, it feels like he was more than a stranger on film and TV. Because he comes back to Perth at least once a year to see his parents who live a few suburbs away from me, it felt like I could have bumped into him at the local mall even.
The first thing that hit me when I saw the news this morning was: it can’t possibly be suicide. I felt that even if it’s suicide it could have only been that the sleeping pills that he had been taking, Ambien has been known to cause depression. I thought that he can’t possibly be depressed about anything else otherwise.
He loved his daughter Matilda, whom he had with Michelle Williams. Plus he sounded genuinely happy when he was back here during Christmas with girlfriend, Perth model Gemma Ward. He’d called a local reporter and left this message for him:
“I don’t know whether it’s a conscious thing or an unconscious thing, giving me space and respecting my privacy,” he told the newspaper.
“It’s just been awesome.
“And I’ve had the most beautiful time back here and being able to see all my friends and family, let alone the press and the people within the community of Perth, it’s been so lovely.
“It’s really enabled me to be a boy again from home and feel like I’d never left.
“It’s truly been an incredibly therapeutic and a much-needed trip home and just that little touch has made it all that more special to me.”
Ledger loved life: Family - People - Entertainment - theage.com.au
The other possibility is accident. When speaking about playing The Joker on the next Batman film, Heath mentioned about needing help to sleep and that one tablet doesn’t do it for him.
“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.
Heath Ledger - I’m Not There - - New York Times
Until the coroner’s report is available, we don’t know how long he was dead for (his body was found around 3pm NY time). For all we know he could have died during the night before. Was he that desperate for sleep that he took more than he should? Did the pills and his pneumonia cause a bad reaction?
Whatever the case, a lot of people will miss him especially here in Western Australia. A goddamn bloody shame when his turn as The Joker in “The Dark Knight” is so highly anticipated.
RIP mate.
12 Responses to “The Death of Heath Ledger”
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I was shocked and saddened when i read about the death of Heath Ledger. How sad for his friends and family; he was only 28 years old and had so much life left to live.
His death does seem to remain a mystery. You mention he had nothing to be depressed about, but you never know. There are often things you don’t know about people. Something horrible could have happened in his life that nobody else knows about, that could have caused major depression. Likewise, it could have been the sleeping pills that caused a bad mental state.
Or else, maybe he wasn’t depressed at all and he DIDN’T kill himself, that it was an accident. Who knows? I would be interested to find out, but for now, it remains a mystery…
RIP Heath Ledger
You know this is like when Steve Irwin and Brock died in the same week, what the hells going on of late. This ones just as sad, maybe even more so because it was something so small, no stingray, no car crash just a small mistake.
My Dads actually met him, down at the fremantle boat club a couple years back. Said he was just like an average guy (mind u he did drive a 911 but a lot of people down there have nice cars) happy to talk to my old man about boats and the boat Club, Dad didn’t even know who he was until he left and was told that he’s a big actor, so no airs and graces seems about right.
Such as waste, we should all say a small prayer for the family and friends he’s left behind, and remember to live life a little bit better everyday.
RIP mate and God Bless.
For the 2 reasons tat u hv mentioned i wud think it’s more of the latter…..
It’s really really bad when u cant get enuf zzz……prob he was v desperate to get a gd rest.
haiz.
It’s always so sad to see a young talent gone so early. I hope it has got nothing to do with the stress he is facing as an actor.
rip
girlstar7: true, depression can hit at any time. But if it was a severe depression brought on by the pills, that seems very unjust.
BigZ: that’s a great story man - thanks for sharing!
mf: what a way to go then, if that’s the case but we’d never know for sure.
blur ting: yeah I feel the same way, even more so if the death is accidental.
herman: yeah, now all that’s needed as closure for his family and friends, and the rest of us is to know the final coroner’s report.
I more worried for his 2 year old daughter Matilda. Hope the media don’t overexpose her
Lupin: she’s not like Bindi Irwin who was already in the shows with her dad when he died. And Michelle Williams has been pretty good so far with staying out of the limelight.
A guy I work with here in Melbs grew up in Perth and mentioned that he saw Heath Ledger at a club one night when he made a return trip back home. I don’t remember the name of the club but I’m sure you’d know it. Apparently he was there with Heather Graham. This guy I work with also mentioned that both the two celebrities were down-to-earth and didn’t have any pretentiousness about them at all. Just added this story because I only heard it tonight.
Yeah, it’s very sad for his daughter, Matilda, not just for the media attention, but because she will grow up with very few, if any, memories of her father.
girlstar7: great story - thanks for sharing! Yeah although Matilda will not have memories of her own about Heath, at least she’s got his movies to remember him by.
This is tragic. I too do not believe it was a suicide. Not for one second, and frankly I don’t care what the autopsy results are - we’ve all seen the photos of him and his daughter and I don’t think he could possibly knowingly and in his right mind, kill himself because he loves her and is too devoted to her to do that to her.
It’s a tragedy and I feel so sorry for his family. The second it was on the news, there were interviews with people who were trying to cash in on his death and trying to get publicity - it’s disgusting. May he rest in peace and I truly hope his family get the respect and privacy they deserve during this hard time.
The second I get a chance, I’m watching 10 Things again - it’s my favourite movie with him in, and I think I’m going to end up crying the whole way through. *sigh*
Katie: yeah I too thought how incredibly fast all these ppl showed up on ACA and Today Tonight. It is a tragic loss, even more so because it was an easily avoidable accident.