Two actors who both recently died at an early age. Personally, neither actor was really on my radar prior to their deaths; they were actors I had heard of and seen in movies without having any particular opinion about. But for some reason it seems to me that Ledger’s death is regarded as more significant than Renfro’s.
Is it because of the timing - Ledger’s death eclipsed Renfro’s? Is it because of Brokeback Mountain - a popular film that Ledger was in? Is it because of Ledger having a famous wife and a young child?
Ledger’s cause of death was a mystery and more of a surprise. I’ve never seen one of Renfro’s movies as far as I know, but I still knew he had a long-standing drug problem.
Ledger had the teen dream audience from 10 Things . . ., the indie/arthouse audience from Brokeback, and a lot of geek buzz about his upcoming role as the Joker. Those are 3 really big demographics. He also reached a broad audience with the sleeper hit A Knight’s Tale.
Brad Renfro had some good roles but never achieved that level of popularity.
What everyone else said. Brad Renfro was a real talent but burned out real early. Ledger had a few crap movies early on but was destined to be a huge star, plus he had a relationship with an actress, thus doubling his fame. Also, Renfro was busted for buying heroin on skid row, while Ledger’s drug use wasn’t reported outside of blind items (though I suspect stories of his coke and heroin use will come out soon enough).
So, did they lie when listed the drugs found in his body? If I remember correctly they were all legal drugs that he had prescriptions for. I think they were Ocycontin, Ambien, Valium and Unisom.
Would you stop? You seem bound and determined to smear Ledger’s name based on no proof whatsoever. He has never once, not ONCE, given cause to show that he took illegal drugs. I wouldn’t say he never did. How would I know, and also, who hasn’t? (I know, many haven’t, but many of us have experimented, that doesn’t make us druggies)
Oh yeah, the Medical Examiner will routinely lie to protect the good name of an up-and-coming actor for…wait? Why?
They didn’t lie. He had no illegal drugs in his system and none were found in his apartment.
This is really pissing me off. The man was taking pills for both insomnia and his pneumonia that he’d contracted in London. Plus possibly anti-anxiety pills (he did, after all, just finish a movie where he had the role of one of the biggest icons of comic book history on his shoulders). He wasn’t a druggie, just sick and exhausted, and used bad judgment in an effort to feel better and get some much-needed sleep.
Well I had no idea who Renfro was, even after going to his IMDB page. I knew Ledger’s work. I don’t think it is much more complex than that. Ledger was more well-known.
What medical condition requires the use of multiple painkillers, multiple sedatives, and sleeping pills?
Prescription drugs are far more abused than any street drug. Even if he had legitimate prescriptions for all of these medications, using them all together indicates some serious problems beyond insomnia.
Personally, I don’t look down on Ledger (or anyone) for using drugs. It was his own business. I do, however, question the legitimacy of the doctor who wrote prescriptions for these heavy, easily abused drugs. It seems like a very irresponsible way to prescribe medication. But I’m no doctor. I don’t know if it is common for these drugs to be prescribed together. I’d guess that it isn’t.
Speaking completely out of my ass here regarding Ledger, but this holds for people at large: people using multiple medications usually get scrips from multiple doctors, and doctors aren’t aware of other drugs being used unless the patient volunteers the information. Pharmacists often catch potential interactions, but a busy person getting scrips filled by whatever pharmacist is available will also tend to bypass those safety filters.
Quite simply, a busy person who gets hooked up with multiple doctors for various concerns will end up with a constellation of drugs that may not interact well, and unless they get all the prescriptions filled at one location, problematic interactions will go unnoticed by anyone knowledgable.
or, not understanding the implications of the question.
exmples:
I use several eye drops, many folks would think that’s irrelevant to any oral medication, and often it isn’t butin my case, some serious potential implications apparently.
my ex was told to ‘fast’ before a procedure, he took that to mean the same sort of ‘fasting’ he did as a kid during Lent, (which included eating toast apparently).
my mom was asked if she was allergic to any meds before surgery, she told them pennicillin, neglecting to mention her allergy to ‘cough syrup w/ codeine’ since she didn’t have a cough.
Additionally, folks often neglect to mention OTC/s (which ledger was also using IIRC) and ‘natural’ supplements, herbal remedies, etc.
I have quite a selection of drugs, all legit. Some painkillers, muscle relaxants, NSAIDS and other classes of med work best for certain things, and some for others. I choose my meds by what I need to take. My headache may need motrin, butyl-apap or midrin, depending on what it is. I have tylenol 3, straight codeine, parafon fortis, oxycodone and darvocet. What I take depends on what is hurting and why. I have motrin, naprosin, tylenol, aspirin and indocin. What NSAID I take depends on what other meds I am taking, or for what reason. I don’t just grab a handfull and chug them down, I pick and choose depending on what is going on. I may have a plain headache, tension headache or full on migraine. I may be having a pseudogout flare, back spasms from using the damn crutches, or just had more dental work done. I also have to balance relative nausea trigger meds to be functional depending on whatever else i am taking. It can be a balancing act and he may have had different reasons for each different med, and took what he needed for any particular issue.
I rarely judge people by the meds in their cabinet. Now if I saw heroin works and a crack pipe, then I would consider they might have a drug issue…
I’ve told you a million times - don’t exagerate. Ledger is more famous than Renfro (which is the point of my OP) but it’s not a 50:1 ratio. I’d say even 5:1 would be a stretch. Leaving Brokeback Mountain out of the comparison, their careers seemed to be at approximately the same level. Renfro was in Sleepers, Apt Pupil, Bully, Ghost World, The Job, and The Jacket (among others). Ledger was in 10 Things I Hate About You, The Patriot, A Knight’s Tale, The Brothers Grimm, Lords of Dogtown, and Casanova.
I believe that Renfro’s long and public track record of substance problems and run-ins with the judicial system had a lot to do with it. It’s not like I followed him at all and yet I was aware that he had a reputation for being troubled that began in his teens. According to the IMDb biography (which I’ll note may or may not be fully accurate):
He was arrested in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, when police pulled him over and allegedly found cocaine and marijuana in his pants and socks. [5 June 1998]
Arrested in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on a grand theft charge for allegedly trying to steal a 45 foot yacht. He and a companion failed to untie the boat from the dock, causing damage to both the boat and the dock. [28 August 2000]
Sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay more than $4,000 for repairs on a yacht he tried to steal in Fort Lauderdale. [5 January 2001]
While on probation in Florida, arrested May 16, 2001 for underage drinking as car was pulled over. Released from jail after $500 bond posted. [May 2001]
January, 2002 - Knoxville, Tennessee, was arrested and charged with public intoxication and driving without a license. He was stopped after a traffic violation near his house.
Ordered back to jail for remainder of probation by Florida judge due to his drunk driving arrest in January. [February 2002]
On December 23, 2005 he was arrested, together with 14 other suspects, during a random drug sting operation in downtown Los Angeles while allegedly trying to buy heroin.
ETA: Fair or not, I also think that Renfro had the “troubled former child star” stamped on him, and as a cliche known very well, it makes his death less “surprising”.
Never heard of a single of Renfros movies, seen all of Heaths. It really is a simple matter of Ledger being way more famous than Renfro, i’d honestly be willing to bet that the ratio of people who could recognize a picture of Heath Ledger vs a picture of Brad Renfro would be damn near 50 to 1.