Wednesday 23 January 2008

Heath Ledger

Normally I avoid the whole celebrity gossip thing. It is poison and unproductive. It adds no value to anyone's life.

But yesterday's death of Heath Ledger was a bit of a shocker.

Brokeback Mountain is one of my top 10 favourite films of all time. Heath Ledger's performance was nothing short of brilliant. I swear I dated men like him whilst I was growing up in Colorado.

A young life is cut short and we are robbed of future acts of brilliance. How do so many actor's fall into this destructive downward spiral of drug/alcohol abuse? Why? What is the industry doing to stop it? Should we as consumers demand drug testing for film and TV stars like we do of our professional athletes?

The real tragedy here is that his very young daughter will live a life without her father in it. We knew the movie star and have his films to remember his characters.

What has been saved for her of her father's life without the camera? She is so young that her memory will be vague at best.

Our sympathy goes out to her and his family who will no doubt have a lifetime's work to ensure his memory lives on in her.

4 comments:

Janell said...

I have a theory that the same function of a person's brain/personality that makes them so brilliantly creative also drives them to succomb to compulsions. Can't prove it, tho, except by holding up historical examples: Marilyn Monroe, John Belushi, Edgar Allen Poe, L. DaVinci, Salvadore Dali, Vincent Van Gogh, etc.

LaDawn said...

an incredibly thought provoking theory....thank you!

Brooke said...

This is very sad. He was such a good actor.

stephanie said...

His death is sad, especially for his little one. I have always enjoyed his artistic talent. He will be missed.

I do agree that there needs to be something done about the drug addiction, self-disstruction and celebrity correlation. Some much creatively lost. What a shame!