# Heath Ledger is dead! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 22, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575 "2008-01-22T21:49:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/141 "2008-01-23T00:47:53Z")
[QUOTE=lisacurl] Don’t jump to any conclusions. His family is saying he had pneumonia and the police are saying that all signs appear that it was accidental overdose. [/QUOTE] Where are you reading about what his family is saying? It very well could be accidental. On another mesage board this was posted without a link, but according to the person who posted it, it’s from the New York Times last November. > [@](#): > > He tends to [stress out]. He is here in London filming the latest episode of the “Batman” franchise, “The Dark Knight.” (Mr. Bale, as it happens, plays Batman; Mr. Ledger plays the Joker.) It is a physically and mentally draining role — his Joker is a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy” — and, as often happens when he throws himself into a part, he is not sleeping much. > > “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. > Even as he spoke, Mr. Ledger was hard-pressed to keep still. He got up and poured more coffee. He stepped outside into the courtyard and smoked a cigarette. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/142 "2008-01-23T00:52:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Strike two never mind… :o good grief… tsfr ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/143 "2008-01-23T00:54:05Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > An accidental overdose of what? Antibiotics? Given how they drill “you have to take them all” into your head, I’m surprised more people don’t overdose on them… ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/144 "2008-01-23T00:55:41Z")
[QUOTE=ThisSpaceForRent] GREIF is…dang spelling… :smack: sorry, tsfr [/QUOTE] Gaudere’s Law strikes again! Honestly I think his death was accidental. He was a serious actor (as the article quoted by **Equipoise** indicates), not one of the “party with drugs, booze, and skanks” guys. Of course, I didn’t know the guy so my opinion is worth the paper it’s printed on. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/145 "2008-01-23T00:56:47Z")
[QUOTE=Tenebras] Given how they drill “you have to take them all” into your head, I’m surprised more people don’t overdose on them… [/QUOTE] Yeah, but only an idiot would think that meant “all at once…” ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/146 "2008-01-23T00:58:59Z")
“Serious actor” and “drug user” aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/147 "2008-01-23T00:59:30Z")
[QUOTE=ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies] Just heard from my co-worker. ☹☹☹ We just watched a double feature of Brothers Grimm and Brokeback Mountain yesterday, specifically to enjoy him and his range as an actor. [/QUOTE] I just watched The Brothers Grimm a couple nights ago for the first time and quite enjoyed it, but I totally missed Heath Ledger. Who was he? Man, I can’t believe this. He always seemed like a really nice and down-to-earth guy from what I read about him, and my wife and daughters just love him and his movies. My 11-year-old daughter even watched **Brokeback Mountain** and broke down in tears when Ennis said “Jack, I swear…” as he buttoned Jack’s shirt. I got the news by logging into Google on this lab computer (today is the first day back to school 'round here) and saw [A Heath Ledger Timeline](http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-01-22-heath-ledger-timeline_N.htm) as the first link in my news box. Finding that puzzling, I clicked on it and saw all the significant moments of his life, then got to the end and breathed a sigh of relief as I read the last entry: **2008:** The last photos of Ledger emerge from London, where he was in costume shooting _The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus_. “Huh,” I thought. “Last photos? I wonder what that means.” Then I saw the line I’d missed at the very bottom: •On Jan. 22, his body is found with sleeping pills nearby in a New York apartment. Police do not suspect foul play. It was like a punch to the gut. Guess now Heath Ledger is added to my list of celebrities whose deaths really upset me (Douglas Adams, Charles Schulz, Phil Hartman, Carl Sagan, and Isaac Asimov, off the top of my head). ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/148 "2008-01-23T01:02:34Z")
[QUOTE=EJsGirl] “Serious actor” and “drug user” aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. [/QUOTE] Robert Downey Junior ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/149 "2008-01-23T01:04:36Z")
[QUOTE=chorpler] I just watched The Brothers Grimm a couple nights ago for the first time and quite enjoyed it, but I totally missed Heath Ledger. Who was he? [/QUOTE] He played Jacob Grimm, the shy soft-spoken brother who wore glasses. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/150 "2008-01-23T01:05:53Z")
[QUOTE=chorpler] I just watched The Brothers Grimm a couple nights ago for the first time and quite enjoyed it, but I totally missed Heath Ledger. Who was he? [/QUOTE] He was the scruffy-faced and more awkward of the Brothers Grimm. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/151 "2008-01-23T01:06:00Z")
[QUOTE=EJsGirl] An accidental overdose of what? Antibiotics? :dubious: [/QUOTE] Perhaps an accidental overdose of prescribed sleeping medication, combined with sedating cough medication? Just a WAG. You know, take some, wake up a half-hour later, forgotten you’ve taken it, take more, etc. Just sayin’ On the other hand, I won’t be incredibly shocked if the eventual toxicology and investigation indicates misadventure of some sort. Damned shame either way. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/152 "2008-01-23T01:10:01Z")
> [@](#): > > Gaudere’s Law strikes again! I was correcting my own spelling…but the edit window closed. /end of hijack about spelling tsfr ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/153 "2008-01-23T01:10:55Z")
I agree completely- I barely saw his work but I am sad and disappointed. I almost want to slap him and shake him and yell “What the hell is wrong with you?!?” And seeing those pictures of hundreds of flashbulbs going off as his body was taken from the scene was awful. ETA- replying to **lisacurl** ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/154 "2008-01-23T01:17:11Z")
From 11 years ago, [Roar](http://imdb.com/title/tt0118451/). IIRC, it was a summer series that aired on Fox. I’m nuts for anything Celtic, and it was a pretty good show, for what it was. I have\* A Knight’s Tale\* on DVD. It will be awhile before I can watch it again…such a handsome young man, with a talent for both the comedic and the tragic. Shit on toast. This blows. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/155 "2008-01-23T01:18:19Z")
So, what’s the story on this apartment? It is being reported as Mary-Kate Olsen’s place, but then a neighbor said she thought Ledger had lived there for a few months? Anybody know the straight dope? ---
**Author:** ![PharmBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@PharmBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PharmBoy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/156 "2008-01-23T01:21:42Z")
[QUOTE=Tenebras] Given how they drill “you have to take them all” into your head, I’m surprised more people don’t overdose on them… [/QUOTE] Except that it’s virtually impossible to do so accidentily, since most antibiotics are very safe. So are most sleeping aids. You can accidentily take 2-3 times the recomended dose, and apart from a wicked hangover, you’ll live. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/157 "2008-01-23T01:22:29Z")
[QUOTE=Terrifel] He played Jacob Grimm, the shy soft-spoken brother who wore glasses. [/QUOTE] No WAY! I don’t recognize him at all in the role. I still can hardly believe it even though I know it’s him. That guy just doesn’t look like the same guy from **Brokeback Mountain** or **10 Things** or **A Knight’s Tale**. Color me astonished. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/158 "2008-01-23T01:23:44Z")
Damn. He had an amazing career ahead of him. ☹ [sub]I hate to admit it, but I’m also wondering about the effect on the Batman movie.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/159 "2008-01-23T01:32:24Z")
[QUOTE=EJsGirl] So, what’s the story on this apartment? It is being reported as Mary-Kate Olsen’s place, but then a neighbor said she thought Ledger had lived there for a few months? Anybody know the straight dope? [/QUOTE] That was a misreported “fact” from the New York Times. It was subsequently retracted and CNN said that Olsen’s name is said to be on a lease for another unit in the building which might have led to the false presumption. Paper of record my ass. Essentially it’s shameless garbage from a reporter trying to over-sensationalize an already sensational story. Ditto all the reporters who feel the need to report “…his NAKED body found…” every time the mention the headline, which is also unconfirmed as of yet…looking at you Nancy Grace! ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575/160 "2008-01-23T01:32:41Z")
[QUOTE=EJsGirl] So, what’s the story on this apartment? It is being reported as Mary-Kate Olsen’s place, but then a neighbor said she thought Ledger had lived there for a few months? Anybody know the straight dope? [/QUOTE] It wasn’t her apartment. She released a statement saying that though she and her sister had an apartment in NYC, it was not in that building. I don’t have a cite right now and it was hundreds of posts back in the thread I saw it in and I’m not going to go looking for it, but she released the statement through her spokewoman. And that, folks, is a good indication of how some bullshit rumor gets started and blown up. Years from now, people are going to be saying “Yah, he was found in one of the Olsen twins’ apartment, anyone remember which twin?” so don’t believe everything you read or take first reports at face value immediately. It sickens me that people actually speculated that he killed himself, with no proof whatsoever. ETA, whoops, got beat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heath-ledger-is-dead/434575.md?page=9)