Heath Ledger Dies

Heath Ledger, who starred in films such as The Brothers Grimm and The Patriot was found dead in a Manhattan apartment on January 22. He was 28. Autopsy results are pending.

Already being hailed as the James Dean of the new generation, Heathcliff Andrew Ledger was born in 1979 in Perth, Australia. He quickly became a favorite when he starred opposite Julia Stiles in 10 Things I Hate About You in 1999. He went on to do films such as A Knight’s Tale, Monster’s Ball and Ned Kelly, but Heath’s big break came when he took on the controversial role of a homosexual cowboy in Brokeback Mountain in 2005 which earned him a Best Actor nomination at The Oscars.

Surely leaving a mark that he was to become one of Hollywood’s future veterans, he also starred in Candy and I’m Not There, in which he played one of the many impressions of Bob Dylan. Next came filming of the newest Batman film The Dark Knight, playing The Joker. The role took somewhat of a toll on Heath and even led to him having trouble sleeping as it was different from his previous roles. It will be released in July this year.

Many of Heath’s peers have already said a few words about the young actor’s sudden death. Josh Hartnett was reported as saying his death is a tremendous loss to the film industry. The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan and Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee have both expressed their sadness. Some were far too heartbroken to say anything including his Brokeback Mountain co-star Jake Gyllenhaal [also the godfather of Heath and ex-girlfriend actress Michelle Williams' 2-year old daughter Matilda] and ex-girlfriend Naomi Watts.

More on Heath’s passing to come soon.

Posted on January 22, 2008
Photo: Wireimage