- Warner Brothers, the studio behind what will be Ledger's last and biggest role (The Dark Knight's Joker), issued this statement: "The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news. The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent. Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person. Our hearts go out to his family and friends."
- Members of Ledger's family have made a statement that they believe his death was entirely an accident.
- The autopsy is scheduled for today, with police denying reports that prescription pills were "scattered about", saying only that "pills were found in the vicinity of the bed." There was no note and no evidence of foul play.
- Meanwhile, the foreshadowing in this recent New York Times piece (conducted for the release of I'm Not There) is downright eerie: " '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."
- As Michael predicted yesterday, it has taken less than 12 hours for ultra-conservative wingnuts (in this case, the ever-dependable Westboro Baptist Church) to make Ledger's gay role in Brokeback the cause of death: "Yes. WBC will picket this pervert's funeral, in religious protest and warning." Here is the link to the full release, though I don't recommend using it.
- We've posted a pictorial memorial to Heath, as well as an article detailing his career. And reader QueerTwoCents has started a forum for people to share their own thoughts on the loss of this talented actor. I personally wasn't a fan of his work until I saw his brilliantly funny performance in Casanova, and of course Brokeback sealed the deal.
Submitted by
on Wed, 2008-01-23 08:51.
WBC
When we meet in hell I'm gonna kick their christian a**es for all eternity.
WBC people....
those WBC asshats make me sick. goddamn
Who are the perverts?
The WBC people and that other horrid thing that I (unfortunately) clicked on "Americans for Truth...." People that spend such an incredible amount of time working on and thinking about something they profess to hate so much...now those are the perverts. I need a shower after reading any of this hate mongering. If they show up at Heath's funeral, I hope they get struck by lightning.
If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning.
forreal, right?