Tuesday, January 22, 2008

So Sad. Heath Ledger Dies at Age 28


Heath Ledger
Originally uploaded by Heidi Meeley
My hubby e-mailed me that Heath Ledger had died this afternoon and my heart just sank. It had to be a bad joke, I thought to myself. Ledger had such a fantastic career, full of diverse roles and I was so looking forward to his portrayal of the Joker in Dark Knight.

It just couldn't be true.

Then I went to the internet and the first thing that popped up was the headline confirming this news. The air was sucked out of the room.

That may sound a bit odd, since I never knew Ledger personally or had any stake in his life, but you know what? He moved me. I love his work in "10 Things I Hate About You". He shined in "The Patriot" and "A Knight's Tale". His work on Brokeback Mountain astounded me. As a gal who grew up around gruff old cowboys, his work really hit close to home.

Then there is the Joker.

After seeing the trailer for Dark Knight, I have been eager to see the movie. Much of it has to do with Christian Bale, to be fair. BUT... the Joker by Ledger showed such glimmers of what I always had wanted to see that it really filled me with glee.

Know Ledger won't be here to walk the red carpet. Man.

What hits most is that Ledger was the father of a young daughter and now he won't be there for her when she grows up. That is the most unfair thing about a 28 year old passing away. He surely had many years left, and spending precious time with young Matilda is now going to be a wish of sorts that never comes through.

That just crushes me. Poor little girl.

Tonight I would like to say a small bit of prayer for Ledger and his family. When a star of this talent leaves the earth too soon, I can only question what God must have planned.

So sad.

9 comments:

Carl said...

I find myself really, really angry and until a bit ago had a miserable raging headache over this. Not at Heath Ledger. But the manager of my comic shop jumped the gun and posted like 4 or 5 myspace bulletins about Ledger and then using this to say that Jack Nicholson and the '89 Batman is still the only real Batman film. This argument has been going on since Batman Begins came out. Ever true Batman fan I know loves Batman Begins and Batman'89 but sites the latter's inperfections and how it was not true like the former to the Batman mythos. So, this over-the-top comments are making me rethink my patronizing my shop anymore. A man died, most likely by accident, his daughter lost her dad at 2, his family and friends have now a huge hole in their lives and all some comic book gimp can think of is how this proves he was right about Jack Nicholson as the Joker?!!! I really don't know if I can buy comics anymore from anyone that petty and stupid. I hope The Dark Knight comes out in July and Ledger's Joker makes everyone forget that fat, old balding guy that played himself pretending to be a Batman villain. Thank you...

Eaglewing said...

Never saw this one coming, and it's sad indeed. Hard for his family. He seemed to be an A list star in the making and then this, which at this points seems to have been accidental.

I think his version of the Joker will amaze people and it's a shame he won't be able to be there for the accolades. What's more of a shame though is people more concerned about their opinion of a movie role (as Carl above points out) than the fact a family just lost a member.

Way too young...

Anonymous said...

"But the manager of my comic shop jumped the gun and posted like 4 or 5 myspace bulletins about Ledger and then using this to say that Jack Nicholson and the '89 Batman is still the only real Batman film. "

Jeez. There are some seriously unbalanced people in this little hobby of ours. Luckily, they're in the minority....but man.

It's definitely sad, but at the same time, I'm astounded at the level of hysterical coverage of the death. No, not you Heidi (or any other blogger), but the nattering ninnies on 24/7 cable news standing outside Ledger's apartment. Buncha vultures.

Swinebread said...

Very sad, he's the reason I was so excited about Dark Knight.

oh and Tim Burton's Batman sucked. Sure it wasn't as bad as Schumacher's but still was awful. An old, fat guy as the joker? Thumbs down.

Everybody is going to realize what we've lost when Dark Knight comes out.

Heidi Meeley said...

Carl, that is just gross. I am mad with you on that one. Your post made me want to jump out of my skin. (No offense, as I am glad you shared.)

I don't blame you for not wanting to do business there.

Heidi Meeley said...

Eaglewing, I agree completely. When Dark Knight comes out, it will be colored completely differently by this new perspective of grief.

Heidi Meeley said...

Mark, good point. I have been purposely trying to stay away from any more news about Ledger. I said my peace, and that is it. I wish they would leave his daughter and lady friend alone. It just makes me furious!

Heidi Meeley said...

Swinebread, you said it.

Lisa said...

This death is very sad. And what is even more disapointing is that people are now trying to profit off of this. We have had several people call the store and stop in to see if we still have copies of the Wizard Movie Special that had Ledger on the cover, or if we had any of the Batman promotional T-Shirt that had him on it. I really hope that this death doesn't hang over the movie as fools try to get their hands on anything Joker related, hoping to turn a profit.