Heath Ledger - This month is the 5-year anniversary of his death

Died in January 2008 at the age of 28 in Manhattan. Discuss where you were 5 years ago this month and what your thoughts were at the time you heard the news.

http%3A//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Ledger


Jake%20G.
• [quote]Discuss where you were 5 years ago this month and what your thoughts were at the time you heard the news. I thought, "I have [italic]got[/italic] to start running better background checks on my tenants."

  Mary-Kate%20O.

• My first thought: would it be in poor taste to keep that poster on our head board?

  Reese W.

• I read it on Datalounge and remember instantly thinking it was drugs b/c he was losing his looks like a street junkie. I was sad. I still am.

• My second thought was, "I have [italic]got[/italic] to stop giving my cell phone number to that cleaning lady."

  Mary-Kate%20O.

• I really think his death was accidental. "I can't sleep - I'll take this pill" "I still can't sleep - let's try this one" Combined with other meds he was taking anyway, and the combination stopped his heart. Case closed. I really don't think he wanted to die.

• I don't think he wanted to die, either. His immune system might have been compromised from feeling sick, and he was mixing medication with drugs. It was stupid of him.

• I realized that he was probably drawing on his own personal demons to play the Joker and I was glad he had at least lived to see it's box office success and critical acclaim. Just a tiny march of days later he would be nominated for best actor.

• I remember getting an email from my mom about his death that afternoon on my phone. In fact, I remember the phone I had that year. I had decided against the first-generation iPhone because it didn't have 3G capabilities and instead bought this brick (that seemed beyond fabulous at the time), not realizing that it was only suited for European 3G frequencies not in use in the US. So I was still stuck on EDGE and could have gotten the iPhone anyway.

  http://www.dynamoo.com/uploaded_images/sony-ericsson-p1i-778182.jpg

  Well%2C%20you%20asked.%20

• How rude!

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DU70oaQR6tKE

  Stephanie%20Tanner

• I agree r5, but a doctor should've been overseeing all his meds, and making sure there wasn't going to be dangerous interactions. Or was Heath taking a bunch of stuff illegally? If true, that was reckless and stupid.

• Overrated and 100x more in death. However, I will love him for causing the hysteria on DL over his death. Those posts made me cry with laughter. Who can forget the fan fiction that came out of here. "Hello, I am Mrs. Heath Ledger..."

  Mary%27s%20all%20over

• Actually, I'm still upset about his death. I know that's weird.

• I was not surprised.

• [quote]I read it on Datalounge I remember at the time it was a huge event here with many long threads. It was a code-blue meltdown because Heath was a big name here in those days.

• why are you all trying to turn this guy into some kind of legend?

• He was a damn good actor. He was attractive and say what you will but it was fucking brave of him to do Brokeback Mountain. He could've done so much more.

• um, because he was hot and played gay. Like, duh.

• R15, I don't think we're trying to turn him into anything - he already is a legend in the eyes of many people, and has a place in film history and an Oscar now.

• He's no more of a "legend" than River Phoenix, but his death was much more recent and he starred in a landmark gay movie. So someone started a 5-year anniversary thread, big deal.

• I liked him and certainly felt bad for him, but you would have thought a head of state passed. People bitched about Michael Jackson's death being a circus, but Ledger's memorial went on for almost a year. I remember when THE DARK KNIGHT came out and a columnist printed that he thought people were going overboard with grief. The guy got a lot of shit thrown his way.

• So r20, he was throwing a lot of shit at the mourners. If you dish it out, you better be able to take it.

• My thoughts were: what a waste. He was so young and he really was very talented. I think his death was an accident. He was sick, run down, wanted to sleep, so he took a handful of pills and the combination killed him. I don't think he was a hopeless drug addict, as he's been portrayed here on Datalounge. I don't think he was any more of a drug user than many other young actors. I remember after he died it was discovered that he hadn't updated his will to include his daughter. Dataloungers were besides themselves with outrage: the heartless, inhuman bastard! Why, he's left his little girl penniless! He must surely be burning in hell for that unforgiveable transgression! Well, as it turned out, his little Mathilda got virtually ALL of his estate. She's a millionare several times over and no doubt that will increase over the years. When she comes of age, she will be filthy rich and never have to work a day in her life if she so chooses. So much for the plight of poor little Mathilda Ledger.

• Do all Australians name their female daughters Mathilda?

• His is one of only celebrity deaths I can remember that really affected me. I was very sad for the loss of his amazing talent at such a young age.

  Sorry%2C%20I%20just%20can%27t%20be%20snarky

• [quote]I remember after he died it was discovered that he hadn't updated his will to include his daughter. Dataloungers were besides themselves with outrage: the heartless, inhuman bastard! Why, he's left his little girl penniless! He must surely be burning in hell for that unforgiveable transgression! This never happened.

• If he looked like the love child of Bruce Vilanch adn Rhea Pearlman, would anyone care (well, except maybe Danny Devito, giggles)?

• I was actually much more affected by the death of Brad Renfro, who died the week before Heath, and whose death was overshadowed by Ledger.

• I think Ruth McClanahan's death had the most impact on me. I remember bawling for days and days. I was a mess, and had to take a personal day at work. I went to bed for two weeks after with her autobiography by my side. I'd met her the year before at a book signing, and she was incredibly nice and gracious and full of joie de vive. I still become a sobbing mess when I think about her or catch her on GG or Maude.

• It made me really think about my heavy drug use at the time. Pills, Clouds,Booze...it was horrible. He kinda got me to fix my life.

• That's rather off-topic though, r28. Rue lived a long life, that's no comparison to someone who had their whole life and career ahead of them.

• "This never happened." Oh, yes it did. I remember it well, because it seemed so stupid. There were quite a few posts on how cruel it was that he didn't update his will (he was only 28; I guess he thought he had plenty of time left to do that), and how that poor little girl would end up with nothing. I commented that her mother Michelle Williams was quite well off, and even THAT was disputed. There was a lot of truly irrational hatred for Heath Ledger back then.

• Was it ever really determined why an Olson twin was called, and who's drugs were actually in his system?

• R30, Rue was actually only in her mid-70's, and was the youngest of the Golden Girls to die. The rest have all lived longer than that. I understand how R28 feels.

• Only r33? That's a full life span, she was a half century older than Heath.

• [quote]who's drugs Oh, dear. And yes, about half a dozen different prescription medications were found in his system.

• I recall the NY times reviewer of BBM compared his performance to the best of Brando. While I wouldn't go that far, I do think he deserved the Oscar over Phillip Seymour Hoffmann for "Capote." And yeah, I remember the death threads. Some of the quips about Mary Kate Olson were lol funny.

  Della

• R21 Those mourners were going as far as to blame Michelle Williams for what happened because she "abandoned" him and refused to let him see her daughter (being a hardcore drug addict was apparently not a big deal). And the hysterics and outrage over Jake Gyllenhaal refusing to speak about Heath. It got insane.

• Michelle Williams got deliberately knocked up by him immediately in the relationship. Normal people ask their lovers to use condoms, but you know not her, and obviously Heath was always a drug addict. I don't think he was a great actor, and I think the Joker was cartoony and awful, and actually, I think he was terrible in it. I think he gave one good performance in his life & that was in A Knight's Tale. Then there was a hysterical fangurl on DL that was just over-the-top and cray cray. Probably the same person that started this thread. And gurl, yes she is one.

• It was shocking news when Heath died, because that was that last thing I would ever hear of Heath. Now, I ball more when I see Brokeback Mountain.

• [quote]I was actually much more affected by the death of Brad Renfro, who died the week before Heath, and whose death was overshadowed by Ledger. Brad wasn't that famous, and he was known to abuse drugs.

• [quote]I recall the NY times reviewer of BBM compared his performance to the best of Brando. While I wouldn't go that far, I do think he deserved the Oscar over Phillip Seymour Hoffmann for "Capote." Totally agree.

• zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

• r38, why do you absolve him of the responsibility of using a condom? Any man who wants to avoid impregnating their partner should take full responsibility for the prevention of doing so. You type crazy. .

  Della

• [quote]I realized that he was probably drawing on his own personal demons to play the Joker and I was glad he had at least lived to see it's box office success and critical acclaim. Just a tiny march of days later he would be nominated for best actor. Maybe you're on drugs. He died January 8, 2008 while the film was in post production. "The Dark Night" wasn't released until July 18 2008 and the Academy Awards weren't until February 2009 in which he won Best Supporting, not best Actor. He didn't live to see any of it. [quote]Michelle Williams got deliberately knocked up by him immediately in the relationship. Normal people ask their lovers to use condoms, but you know not her, and obviously Heath was always a drug addict. You do realize these are complete strangers to you and you have no idea what you're talking about, right? How creepy.

• The minute I heard about his death, I wondered who would tell Mary Kate Olson. Everyone knew about the special connection.

• I was standing in line in a coffee shop near my apartment when CNN announced his death on the tv that was in the shop. Heath Ledger and I were very close in age, and myself and the other people in the shop who were roughly my age were stunned. People who were older than us kind of just shrugged and a couple of women in their 40's didn't know who he was. His death was a big deal to a lot of people of my generation. I was stunned because there had never been any drug stories about him in the press and his drug abuse wasn't public knowledge at the time.

• R29, It's nice to read something positive coming out Ledger's death. Congrats to you.

• If his death affected just one person to reexamine their drug dependence then perhaps it was worth it.

• I actually went over to the building where he died after I got off of work that night. It's only a couple of blocks from my office. It was a total circus.

• No, I'd rather a hundred dead junkies than lose the talent that Heath Ledger had.

• The Olsen twins are as disgusting as Justin Bieber and Tim Tebow.

• I can second R29's story. Got off benzos that month.

• That's great, r52.

• [quote]Brad wasn't that famous, and he was known to abuse drugs. Brad wasn't as famous when he died, but he had been a top teenage star in his younger years. He was a lead actor in many films whether it was opposite Ian McKellen in "Apt Pupil" or whether it was the title role in the Oscar-nominated "The Client".

• The Death of Heath and Renfro shocked me extremly! When I watch on every 22.Jan. Heath Films I always feel his Present and his film like Brokeback Candy and others always end tragic. Heath is like Brokeback on the end of the film of Brokeback Mountain; This Photo which shows the Brokeback and gives Ennis all the Memorys about Brokeback. I always try to keep nice memorys in Mind. But I think he was 28 and old enough to know. If u take OXYCODONE + HYDROCODONE + VALIUM + .. + .. + ... (6 different hard PILLS!!!) Pills over Pills u have to know, that u can die and i dont believe it was accidental.

  DanielfromGermanymissHeath

• I miss Brad Renfro. I didn't really feel connected to Heath.

• I remember being quite shocked. He was someone I truly admired. And I loved him in BBM. There had been vague talk about his drug use, but it was no Lohan type thing. I think the guy suffered from a serious anxiety disorder.

• My aunt called me. "You'll never guess who died today." "Please don't tell it's Britney. Please don't." Of course, Britney had been going through a nightmarish breakdown at the time, being stalked by the paps in LA. I was psychologically disturbed by footage I'd seen of her with her puppy on the sidewalk. It's almost as if there was a sense of impending doom in the air - and I'm talking about in relation to the culture of celebrity, the price of fame etc. When my aunt said it was Heath though, the knot in my stomach was not relieved. I was appalled, especially because he was so wise beyond his years as a screen persona. It actually reminded me of River Phoenix, although he was a bit before my time. These people who get success in their teens or 20s are just not prepared for it.

• I dont remember what I was doing but chances are I thought the same thing whenever a celebrity ODs. "Yawn. How lame and unoriginal".

• I saw a Interview in the (maybe) German documetation: Too young too die - Heath Ledger, den die Götter liebten on arte.tv There was his father Kim talking about Heath. He tells about the last Christmas Eve on 2007 with Heath where he saw Heath last. I never saw this interview anywhere else and you see Heath's Joker Book where he posted on last side. "BYE BYE" Watch this documentation its very intresting, but i dont know if it in englisch availible.

  DanielfromGermanymissHeath