Heath Ledger's Last Role

Heath Ledger (1979 - 2008)

WNBC broke the news that Heath Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment. He was found face down in his bed with sleeping pills nearby. His family believes it was an accidental overdose and his scheduled meetings seem to imply that he didn't take his own life willingly. However, until toxicology results come in next week, it would be premature to conclude that we have lost yet another talent to addiction.

This comes as terrible news for film fans around the world, many of us eagerly awaiting his already legendary turn in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (The highly anticipated sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, a B.O. and critical success). Heath's post-production work on that feature had been completed recently as he was already deep in work as the co-star of Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. We don't yet know what will happen to that production but Heath's final portrayal of the "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown"(his words) as glimpsed in trailers uploaded onto the net has already fueled wild excitement and praise from from fans and professionals alike. Co-star Michael Kane, and other directors like Guillermo del Toro have been extremely enthusiastic about Ledger's take on the Joker, an intense performance which Heath recently revealed had affected his sleep patterns. Prior to that Ledger took the part of a drug addict in Neil Armfield's "Candy"(2006) and it could be SPECULATED that a deep commitment to his later roles may have taken a strong toll on his overall health and exacerbated some pre-existing tendency or condition. Again, that remains to be seen.

The 28-year-old actor is probably most widely remembered for his Oscar-nominated performance in Ang Lee's groundbreaking Brokeback Mountain.

It is tragic to lose not just such young life but a talent on the rise whose choices were getting better and better, as evidenced in part in his involvement in Todd Haynes' amazing Bob Dylan biopic "I'm not there".

He leaves behind a two-year-old daughter he had with actress Michelle Williams.

My deepest condolences.