Heath Ledger’s Sad, Untimely Death
By stephanie - Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
I wouldn’t normally be talking about Heath Ledger here, but with his upcoming role as the Joker in the next Batman movie, The Dark Knight, this is sci-fi news. I have not been a fan of Heath Ledger; he has only been in my consciousness somewhat vaguely and I haven’t seen most of the films he’s been in. Still, I was really shocked to hear the news that he died yesterday. Absolutely shocked.
Today, speculations are arising over a rolled up $20 bill found in his apartment, which indicates possible cocaine use. What surprises me is how many fans are up in arms over this news, saying that the media is making “assumptions” that they shouldn’t be making. It’s an interesting look at how people relate to actors, and how they alternately vilify them (Tom Cruise) or make them into saints (Heath Ledger) when the middle ground is more likely true.
I have lived in Los Angeles for many, many years and I have seen a lot. And I can tell you that there is absolutely no reason to have a rolled up $20 in your home unless someone was doing some blow. Generally speaking, if you are not the type of person to do that sort of stuff yourself, you aren’t likely to sit quietly while your friends do it right in front of you, leaving their paraphernalia lying around in your living room.
Furthermore, if someone can’t get more than two hours of sleep on two hits of Ambien, that’s another indication that cocaine is a factor. Cocaine will easily keep you up all night.
Drug addiction does not make someone a bad person, but it does make them a sad person. Compassion can still be given to Ledger, not because he was drug-free, but precisely because he apparently wasn’t. I’ve known a few addicts in my time, and these folks aren’t evil – they are lost souls.
This will make watching The Dark Knight all the more poignant.