The Compass

Issue date: 3/11/08 Section: Opinion

In case you don't have a television, a radio, the internet or you live in an underground cave- Heath Ledger, famed Oscar nominee, passed away.

Ledger died Jan. 22 of an accidental drug-overdose. He was only 28-years-old.
I was driving home from a late class and heard on the radio a few brief words, "Heath Ledger found dead…more on that after Rihanna."

I thought it was a joke, so I took it upon myself to Google it once I got home. It was true. The pictures of him in a body bag were all over the internet. For the rest of the night that image was frozen in my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about the way his face might have looked underneath that rubber bag. I thought about his voice and what he would have said before he died. I kept thinking about all these trivial ideas that lead me to question, why do I care? I don't know him. If I died, he wouldn't care.

I never knew Heath Ledger, or of the other celebrities for that matter that affected my life so much.

The first time I was truly impressed by Ledger was after seeing his performance in Monster's Ball. Even though his character died within the first half of the movie, I couldn't shake his flushed and lifeless face from my head. Before that I had only seen him in A Knight's Tale and 10 Things I Hate About You, and even though I was thrilled to hear him say my name in the latter, his performance was just barely above average.

When I saw Brokeback Mountain, his status as a teen heartthrob had vanished in my head and he was truly a sophisticated actor. His performance was Oscar worthy, as he was nominated in 2006.

Personally, I thought his performance was absolutely wonderful. I was saddened by Ennis Del Mar's loss of love and fear of social oppression.

The only thing sadder than watching his past performances, is seeing his haunting portrayal of The Joker in Dark Knight, due out in July 2008. From the previews, it's obvious that this role is unlike Jack Nicholson's portrayal in the 1989 version of Batman. Ledger's Joker is not only a raving lunatic, but a haunting evil entity as well. To see the deceased Ledger play such a character gave me chills, to say the least.

I must care because of the raw talent held by this young actor. It must be because Ledger did things in life that actually moved me or excited me. When Anna Nicole Smith died, I didn't care. I wasn't even surprised. All she did was talk with an annoying voice and marry an old bag of bones for a bundle of cash. Ledger, on the other hand, entertained me while still maintaining a humble personality.

I also find the surprise factor in his death to be another reason to care. Nobody expected him to die; he was so young. He was not acting like Britney Spears, gallivanting from the club to the Emergency Room. He was working and spending time with his daughter.
I never thought I was one of those people, concerned with celebrity lifestyles. I don't read US Weekly or People magazine. But after losing sleep because some Aussie movie star died, made me think otherwise.

Since we still have his work to reflect on after his death, we shall see if the good truly do die young.

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