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Heath Ledger dies, aged 28

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The Joker is dead - Dark Knight actor Heath Ledger dies tragically early of suspected suicide

The Dark Knight actor Heath Ledger died some hours ago of a drug overdose in lower Manhattan. According to the IMDB, he was found at 3.31pm EST at the otherwise-empty apartment of the actress Mary-Kate Olsen. The BBC report that the 28-year old Australian actor is believed to have separated from partner Michelle Williams, the mother of his two-year old daughter, in September. Police have apparently reported no suspicious circumstances to Ledger's death.

Ledger rose to fame in 10 Things I Hate About You before going on to more mature work such as Brokeback Mountain and the role of a suicidal son in The Monster's Ball, and was widely acknowledged to be a very promising emergent talent in Hollywood.

Here at Geek we have been excited month after month by the remarkable marketing campaign for what will prove to be Ledger's final film, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, now in post-production with a July release date. Ledger's Joker looks to be a sinister and original creation powered by an actor of note, and we at Geek would like to say how sorry we are to have lost a good person tragically early.

Ledger's main contribution to the piece ended when principal photography wrapped earlier this month, and his work on the project is believed to be complete.

 

 

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User's Comments

Re: Heath Ledger dies, aged 28
Posted by Spidergirl on January 23, 2008 08:03:38 AM

AICN reckons he'd completed post-production, too, so no worries there. Just a pity he didn't manage to complete post-production on, like, his child.

Re: Heath Ledger dies, aged 28
Posted by Spidergirl on January 23, 2008 08:04:34 AM

Oh, and, also, apparently it's now come out that it's wasn't the Olsens' apartment, just that the first person on scene called someone for help who happened to be their bodyguard. Or something. This is a really weird story to wake up to.

Re: Heath Ledger dies, aged 28
Posted by simonbrew on January 23, 2008 09:36:35 AM

Whatever the reasoning, this is a horrible waste of a real talent. He was in the midst of shooting Terry Gilliam's new movie, I've just seen. It's going to be very odd watching The Dark Knight this summer.

Re: Heath Ledger dies, aged 28
Posted by khodge on January 23, 2008 09:37:19 AM

As usual, the police seem so eager to dish the salacious details that they're skipping merrily around the facts. TMZ and other sources are reporting that Ledger had pneumonia. If that's true, a normal dose of any sedative (alprazolam, diazepam were found in his bedroom) could have reduced his respiratory response sufficiently to effectively asphyxiate him.

Re: Heath Ledger dies, aged 28
Posted by creativewriter1985 on January 23, 2008 09:46:26 AM

Gutted. Just gutted....

Re: Heath Ledger dies, aged 28
Posted by Robmac on January 23, 2008 09:48:21 AM

It is a shame and if you look across his body of work he did some excellent films. I real shame as he had a good career as a 'serious' actor ahead of him. I just hope there wont be another River Phoenix type pap frenzy surrounding things and that the press will let his passing and his family grief have some modicum of dignity.

Re: Heath Ledger dies, aged 28
Posted by Lobscouse on January 23, 2008 11:42:11 AM

Poor bloke, poor child, this is all very sad :(

Re: Heath Ledger dies, aged 28
Posted by DuncanMonkey on January 23, 2008 04:22:36 PM

Really sad. I for one am shocked at how it affected me, I think the tragic elements were just a bit too much... Damn, 10 Things I Hate About You already makes me cry at the end (I have a weakness for Julia Stiles' speech).

Disgustingly I've also heard that a right wing group of religious extremists (the WBC) plan to picket his funeral, just because he 'portrayed' a gay cowboy.

Re: Heath Ledger dies, aged 28
Posted by creativewriter1985 on January 23, 2008 09:09:32 PM

How ridiculous. Nobody should be doing anything at his funeral, except for grieving. I'm still really shocked, it's not as if he's been a Hollywood wild child or anything, he's always seemed kinda sensible. But I suppose nobody yet knows what really happened. It could have just been a tragic accident, like Karl says.
Whatever it is, you have to feel for his family and friends.
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Heath Ledger: 1979-2008
Heath Ledger: 1979-2008
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