Fond Memories of Heath

Like the rest of the world, I was saddened and shocked to hear that Heath Ledger had passed away yesterday. However, I think that it is disrespectful to his family and to his memory to lament his death simply because he was a pretty face. I'm not going to pretend that I knew him personally, because I didn't, but I'd like to pay tribute to the person that I saw and the impressions that I got from him. The most important thing about him was that it was obvious that he loved his two year old daughter, Matilda Rose, more than anything else in the world. Every time he mentioned her, he spoke of her with such genuine happiness and pride. I don't think that anyone could question the fact that she meant the world to him.

Another thing that I admired about Heath Ledger was that he seemed very down to earth compared to many actors out there. He wasn't constantly engaged in scandals, nor was there a picture of him and his family on the cover of every issue of People Magazine and other celebrity gossip magazines. He actively tried to avoid the Paparazzi and to keep them away from his family. Occasionally his temper got the better of him when he was dealing with the press, but he always apologized and owned up to his mistakes later on. Besides, the entertainment media is so inconsiderate, I can't say I blame him for getting angry with their constant attempts to invade his private life.

The thing that always stuck out to me about Heath Ledger, though, was his dedication to his acting and his resolve not to get type cast as a Hollywood Heartthrob. He never played the same role twice, and he actively sought out characters that were complex and difficult to play, even if it meant pissing off producers in the process. Each character that he played was so different that sometimes I forgot that it was the same actor. Not only that, but his performances in his various roles were superb. He made me laugh in "Brothers Grimm" and cry in "Brokeback Mountain." At the 2006 Oscars, I cheered him on from my living room and was very disappointed when Phillip Seymour Hoffman took home the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role instead of him. I was looking forward to watching his career progress and seeing him win an Oscar sometime in the near future, and I am very sad that this will not be the case.

Finally, I would like to extend my sympathies to Heath Ledger's family, although I doubt that they will ever read this. I can't imagine how hard it must be for them to not only deal with the death of their beloved son/brother but also to have to deal with all the media attention. I am thoroughly disgusted with the coverage of this incident and wish that the media would respect the family's wishes to be left alone and to not speculate about the cause of his death. It's bad enough that the family found out about his death on the news. Spreading rumors about him is only adding insult to injury and is incredibly callous of the entertainment industry. I also am disgusted with the way that TMZ cornered Lindsay Lohan to try and get her to comment. Whether or not rumors are true and she and Heath Ledger were romantically involved, it was obvious that she was very distraught over his death. I don't particularly like Lindsay Lohan, but I think that she deserves more respect from bottom feeding celebrity gossip sites like TMZ especially in such difficult times. Whether she and Heath were mere acquaintances, good friends, or something more, she deserves time to process this event and grieve without having a camera shoved in her face.

Rest in Peace, Heath Ledger. You were an inspirational actor, and you will be missed greatly.