No, what you're reading is not another THE DARK KNIGHT odd-campaign or a stunt ploy. This is true and confirmed: Heath Ledger, one of Hollywood's premiere actors, was found dead at his Manhattan flat at the young age of 28.


When I first heard about this news, I didn't believe it. When I opened my Hotmail homepage this morning, I didn't believe it as well, but it led me buzzing to check The Times website, and it was there, full front cover. I still can't believe it. It's The Times, for Chrissake! The Times! This is such a sad tragic tale. I know this bloke's not my relative, but for a person like me who cares about the movie industry, I am disturbed, saddened and gobsmacked by this shocking news. He was found in his flat, lying face down at the foot of his bed, unresponsive. There were also sleeping pills found in his room, Diazepam and Alprazolam, both anti-anxiety drugs prescribed in his name. There was no reason for foulplay, and may be a "possible overdose" of the prescribed pills. Heath Ledger once mentioned in his interview that he's been suffering lack of sleep, after being disturbed by own his portrayal of The Joker in 2008's upcoming THE DARK KNIGHT, the Batman sequel.

A brilliant actor like Heath Ledger, a star uncorrupted by the sparkle of fame and the shindig of Hollywood, who gave us one of the finest performances by an actor in the recent years in his memorable character Ennis Del Mar in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (which could have won him an Oscar, if not for Philip Seymour Hoffman in CAPOTE), will imprint his memory in the world. He is unarguably one of Hollywood's finest, that "it" actor with such a great future written all over him. But now, it's all over. He rose to fame in 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, played as Mel Gibson's son in THE PATRIOT, and broke superstardom in A KNIGHT'S TALE. But his most memorable and critically-acclaimed was in Ang Lee's BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. He appeared in many films, most recently, I've just seen him portraying one of Bob Dylan's alter-ego in I'M NOT THERE, and his characterisation of man struggling with the loss of his wife relflects so disturbingly to his own life as he was just recently separated with his own wife, Michelle Williams, whom he had a kid with. Now, I'm probably one of the millions of people awaiting for this summer's THE DARK KNIGHT as Ledger plays the mass-murdering psycopathic clown The Joker, in the hope that this will be possibly Ledger's most defining role in his final bow with an iconic character.

You will be missed in the screen, after the impact you made to the movie industry and to the film-goers. May you rest in peace, Mr Ledger.