Heath Ledger found dead

[HouseofWool]

Re: Heath Ledger found dead

He was so not on the short list of those to do something stupid (suicide or OD)... What a waste. The first thing that came to mind was River Phoenix...

[rainbabies]

Re: Heath Ledger found dead

This article from The New York Times published just two months ago shed a new light on the untimely death of Heath Ledger:

“I stressed out a little too much,” Mr. Ledger said.

He tends to do that. He is here in London filming the latest episode of the “Batman”franchise, “The Dark Knight.” (Mr. Bale, as it happens, plays Batman; Mr. Ledger plays the Joker.) It is a physically and mentally draining role — his Joker is a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy” he said cheerfully — and, as often happens when he throws himself into a part, he is not sleeping much.

“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.

Even as he spoke, Mr. Ledger was hard-pressed to keep still. He got up and poured more coffee. He stepped outside into the courtyard and smoked a cigarette. He shook his hair out from under its hood, put a rubber band around it, took out the rubber band, put on a hat, took off the hat, put the hood back up. He went outside and had another cigarette. Polite and charming, he nonetheless gave off the sense that the last thing he wanted to do was delve deep into himself for public consumption. “It can be a little distressing to have to overintellectualize yourself,” is how he put it, a little apologetically.

[migirl]

Re: Heath Ledger found dead

How tragic.

[Phoebe]

Re: Heath Ledger found dead

It is very, very sad. Especially for his daughter.

[rainbabies]

Re: Heath Ledger found dead

gross. fred phelps "church" is set to protest his funeral.

Re: Heath Ledger found dead

What an a-hole that phelps guy is.

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Heath Ledger found dead

What an a-hole that phelps guy is.

Yep, he was always popping up at campus functions when we were at KU - he's a real piece of work!

[rainbabies]

Re: Heath Ledger found dead

:|
reaction from MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp ... 5#22813005

This is reprehensible!

Fox News Talk Network host John Gibson announced the sad and tragic death of actor Heath Ledger on Tuesday by mocking him and making light of his untimely passing.

Disgusting!

We've been on this creep's show before and we will boycott his show in the future, unless he issues an apology.

Here's a rundown of what happened:

"Playing an audio clip of the iconic quote, 'I wish I knew how to quit you' from Ledger’s gay romance movie Brokeback Mountain, Gibson disdainfully quipped, 'Well, he found out how to quit you.' Laughing, Gibson then played another clip from Brokeback Mountain in which Ledger said, 'We’re dead,' followed by his own, mocking 'We’re dead' before playing the clip again."

Gibson called Ledger a "weirdo" with a "serious drug problem" and suggested that Ledger killed himself because he had "a serious position in the (stock) market" or perhaps "watched the Clinton-Obama debate last night. I think he was an Edwards guy, cause he saw his Edwards guy was just completely irrelevant."

Click here to listen to the audio of John Gibson's shameful handling of Heath Ledger's death.

OneRepublic sings, "It's too late to apologize." But it's not!

Say you're sorry, John Gibson, or you're no different than hatemonger Fred Phelps.

Update: Feel free to email john.gibson@foxnews.com and let him directly know your thoughts!

You can also email his show at myword@foxnews.com and the network at yourcomments@foxnews.com.

And, if you wanna email the CEO of Fox News, his info is roger.ailes@foxnews.com.

Now, GLAAD has jumped into the fray as well.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has denounced Gibson's behavior and just released the following call to action, something we suggested our readers do earlier too.

They say:

"January 24, 2008

Fox News Host John Gibson Cruelly Mocks Heath Ledger's Death and his Role in Brokeback Mountain

In the wake of Heath Ledger's death, people around the world are mourning the gifted actor's passing and are expressing their appreciation for how he changed hearts and minds with his Oscar-nominated role as a gay cowboy in 2005's Brokeback Mountain.

In a stark and disturbing contrast, Fox News Radio host John Gibson cruelly mocked Ledger's death and his role in Brokeback Mountain during his Jan. 22 John Gibson Show radio broadcast. During the show, Gibson played an audio clip from the film of Jake Gyllenhaal's character, Jack, telling Ennis (played by Ledger), "I wish I knew how to quit you." Gibson then coldly quipped, "Well, he found out how to quit you." Then, after playing another audio clip from the movie of Ledger's character saying, "We're dead," Gibson mockingly said, "We're dead" and played the clip again.

“Gibson’s remarks are vulgar and disgusting,” said Rashad Robinson, GLAAD’s Senior Director of Media Programs. “It’s sickening that Gibson would exploit Heath Ledger’s tragic death to promote such hurtful intolerance. And to do so at a time when family and friends are grieving shows a level of insensitivity that is beyond the pale.”
Beyond his mockery of Ledger's role in Brokeback Mountain, Gibson called the actor a "weirdo" with "a serious drug problem," and callously speculated on the reasons Ledger might have committed suicide. Gibson had previously mocked Brokeback Mountain–calling it a "gay agenda movie" on his Fox News TV program in 2006.

Listen to Clip:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/23/gib ... ks-ledger/

Gibson’s Past Comments on Brokeback Mountain:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,180499,00.html

TAKE ACTION NOW!
GLAAD strongly urges you to contact Fox News and ask its representatives why they continue to provide a platform for John Gibson's cruel and tasteless comments.

Please contact:

Mr. Mitch Davis
Vice President
Fox News Radio Network
1211 Avenue Of The Americas
18th Floor
New York, NY 10036-8701
Direct Phone: *212-301-5800
Outlet Fax: *212-301-5455
Outlet Phone: 212-301-3000
Email: mitch.davis@foxnews.com

Mr. Robert Finnerty
Senior Vice President
Fox News Radio Network
1211 Avenue Of The Americas
18th Floor
New York, NY 10036-8701
Direct Phone: *212-301-5800
Outlet Fax: *212-301-5455
Outlet Phone: 212-301-3000
Email: robert.finnerty@foxnews.com

Ms. Irena Briganti
Vice President of Public Relations
FOX News Channel
1211 Avenue Of The Americas
Lowr C1
New York, NY 10036
Direct Phone : *212-301-3608
Outlet Fax : *212-382-1411
Outlet Phone : 212-301-3000
Email: irena.briganti@foxnews.com
Contact by: E-mail

Ms. Suzanne Scott
Vice President, Programming
FOX News Channel
1211 Avenue Of The Americas
Lowr C1
New York, NY 10036
Direct Phone : *212-301-8558
Outlet Fax : *212-382-1411
Outlet Phone : 212-301-3000
Email: suzanne.scott@foxnews.com

foxnewsradio@foxnews.com
gibsonradio@foxnews.com

JOHN GIBSON
john.gibson@foxnews.com
212-301-3000

[rainbabies]

Re: Heath Ledger found dead

Heath Ledger's family is publicly sharing their grief.

The actor's parents and sisters each wrote touching tributes in the Friday edition of the West Australian newspaper.

Here's what they said.

His father, Kim, wrote:
"'Heatho,' 'Beef,' . . . my beautiful boy, so loving, so talented, so independent, so caring, so young . . . no more chess games mate . . . this is it, couldn't beat you anyway!

My body aches for the sound of your voice, our chats, our laughs and our life and times together."

Your truly varied artistic skills, insatiable desire to improve and eclectic abilities set you apart from any other person on the planet . . . it had only just started for you … and for us to further enjoy. We were one, in soul and commitment. Just . . . Father and Son. I will love you forever, Dad."

His mother, Sally, wrote:
"Our darling boy, special in so many ways to all of us. You knew you were so loved. You lived life with courage and daring and we are so grateful for the wonderful times we shared. We will be there for Matilda. Your loving Mamma, Rog and Ash."

His older sister, Katie, wrote:
"I can hardly breathe when I try to write this. We were the ultimate in soul mates. I feel both my heart and life have been torn apart. I loved our special talks, our daily chats from where ever you were in the world.

I especially loved all the precious time we spent together. We were so fortunate to have you as long as we did. You were so many things to so many people, but to me you were just my little brother.

There will never, ever be another "Heath" and I think that in itself is the greatest tragedy.

I will continue to talk with you everyday and love you just as if you were here. You will never leave my thoughts "Roast", ever."

His younger sister, Olivia, wrote:
"You're my idol, my hero, but most importantly, my loving big brother. I'll treasure every moment we spent together. I love you Heath, I miss you and pray every night you're safe."

His entire family wrote:
"How do we describe our sudden and tragic loss? … You were the most amazing individual "old soul" in a young man's body.

You so loved us, as we dearly loved you. As a close knit and very private family unit we have observed you so determined yet quietly travelling in your self-styled path in life, nothing would get in your way … no mountain too tall, no river too wide.

You dreamed your dreams and lived them with passion and intelligent commitment. We have been privileged to accompany you on a ride through life that has simply been amazing and through it all, we have loved each other beyond imagination.

Your true legacy lives on in beautiful little Matilda, who will always remain in the greatest of care. Our hearts are broken . . . Dad and Ines, Mum and Roger, Kate and Nathan, Rori and Scarlett, Ashleigh, Olivia, Elana and Nadia."

[Vishenka69]

Re: Heath Ledger found dead

I'm still confused at to what the cause of death was. Was it the reaction of sleeping pills with his other prescription drugs?

Re: Heath Ledger found dead

waiting on autopsy results. initial findings were 'inconclusive'.

[rainbabies]

Re: Heath Ledger found dead

These are some very kind and interesting words recanting Heath Ledger’s on set aura, as told by Chris Nolan (via Newsweek)

One night, as I’m standing on LaSalle Street in Chicago, trying to line up a shot for “The Dark Knight,” a production assistant skateboards into my line of sight. Silently, I curse the moment that Heath first skated onto our set in full character makeup. I’d fretted about the reaction of Batman fans to a skateboarding Joker, but the actual result was a proliferation of skateboards among the younger crew members. If you’d asked those kids why they had chosen to bring their boards to work, they would have answered honestly that they didn’t know. That’s real charisma—as invisible and natural as gravity. That’s what Heath had.

Heath was bursting with creativity. It was in his every gesture. He once told me that he liked to wait between jobs until he was creatively hungry. Until he needed it again. He brought that attitude to our set every day. There aren’t many actors who can make you feel ashamed of how often you complain about doing the best job in the world. Heath was one of them.

One time he and another actor were shooting a complex scene. We had two days to shoot it, and at the end of the first day, they’d really found something and Heath was worried that he might not have it if we stopped. He wanted to carry on and finish. It’s tough to ask the crew to work late when we all know there’s plenty of time to finish the next day. But everyone seemed to understand that Heath had something special and that we had to capture it before it disappeared. Months later, I learned that as Heath left the set that night, he quietly thanked each crew member for working late. Quietly. Not trying to make a point, just grateful for the chance to create that they’d given him.

Those nights on the streets of Chicago were filled with stunts. These can be boring times for an actor, but Heath was fascinated, eagerly accepting our invitation to ride in the camera car as we chased vehicles through movie traffic—not just for the thrill ride, but to be a part of it. Of everything. He’d brought his laptop along in the car, and we had a high-speed screening of two of his works-in-progress: short films he’d made that were exciting and haunting. Their exuberance made me feel jaded and leaden. I’ve never felt as old as I did watching Heath explore his talents. That night I made him an offer—knowing he wouldn’t take me up on it—that he should feel free to come by the set when he had a night off so he could see what we were up to.

When you get into the edit suite after shooting a movie, you feel a responsibility to an actor who has trusted you, and Heath gave us everything. As we started my cut, I would wonder about each take we chose, each trim we made. I would visualize the screening where we’d have to show him the finished film—sitting three or four rows behind him, watching the movements of his head for clues to what he was thinking about what we’d done with all that he’d given us. Now that screening will never be real. I see him every day in my edit suite. I study his face, his voice. And I miss him terribly.

Back on LaSalle Street, I turn to my assistant director and I tell him to clear the skateboarding kid out of my line of sight when I realize—it’s Heath, woolly hat pulled low over his eyes, here on his night off to take me up on my offer. I can’t help but smile.

Re: Heath Ledger found dead

I was working in NYC not far from the apt they found him in when this happened. SO tragic. His little girl Matilda is the spitting image of him.