R.I.P: Heath Ledger

1979 – 2008

On a day that was meant for millions of smiles (Oscar noms) comes the terribly sad news that hits both movie fans and the film community like a ton of bricks. Heath Ledger has passed away at the age of 28. TMZ reports that “he was found dead in his bed in one of his residences in Soho by his
housekeeper at 3:35 PM ET today. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ they
believe it was not a crime, adding that prescription pills were found
near his body”.

We can only equate this to the same feelings we might have had when River Phoenix left us. A star so bright that he was now working with the best directors in the business. IONCINEMA.com’s Jameson Kowalczyk had the chance to interview the method actor for the release of Candy (read that here – a great roundtable were the thesp acknowledged the kind of work he does in preparing for his roles).

He shined in Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain and was in his element in the recently released Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There. Currently working on a second film with Terry Gilliam The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (I have no idea what will about come with that production) and he was pegged to play a part in Terrence Malick’s upcoming Tree of Life. Of course fans of Batman were looking forward to his Joker interpretation in The Dark Knight.