Heath Ledger found dead

[Christiern]

They just broke into People's Court to announce that actor Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain)has been found dead in his Soho (NYC) apartment.

Edited January 22, 2008 by Christiern

[gslade]

A young Actor

What a shame

[B. Clugston]

Australian-born actor who starred in Brokeback Mountain, A Knight's Tale, et al.

[7/4]

  Christiern said:

They just broke into People's Court to announce that actor Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain)has been found dead in his Soho (NYC) apartment.

Watching People's Court, eh?

Heath Ledger

  Quote

January 22, 2008, 4:42 pm

Actor Heath Ledger Is Found Dead

By Sewell Chan, NYTimes

The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment building at 421 Broome Street in SoHo, according to the New York City police. Mr. Ledger was 28.

At 3:31 p.m., a masseuse arrived at Apartment 5A in the building for an appointment with Mr. Ledger, the police said. The masseuse was let in to the home by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of Mr. Ledger’s bedroom. When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Mr. Ledger unconscious. They shook him, but he did not respond. They immediately called the authorities. The police said they did not suspect foul play and said they found pills near body.

Mr. Ledger, a native of Perth, Australia, won acclaim for his role as a co-star in “Brokeback Mountain”, a 2005 film. The film, based on a short story by Annie Proulx about two cowboys who fall in love, won critical acclaim. Reviewing the film in The New York Times, the critic Stephen Holden wrote, “Mr. Ledger magically and mysteriously disappears beneath the skin of his lean, sinewy character. It is a great screen performance, as good as the best of Marlon Brando and Sean Penn.”

Calls by The New York Times to Mara Buxbaum, a publicist for Mr. Ledger, and Steve Alexander, the actor’s agent, were not immediately returned this afternoon.

Thomas J. Lueck contributed reporting.

[clifford_thornton]

Damn, that's sad. Really liked him on a number of occasions.

[ValerieB]

horrible news about a young talented man with a young child. just heard fairly recently that he and his wife/partner had split. it had been such a romantic story with their meeting on the set of "brokeback mountain" and having the child not long after. very sad indeed.

[porcy62]

Yes, sad news. Like the death of River Phoenix. A young talented actor and, presumibly, a tender heart human being. Sad. RIP

[Spontooneous]

This just in: He died in Mary-Kate Olsen's apartment.

[sal]

This is sad news. I think he was a talented actor with a bright career ahead of him.

[Christiern]

  Spontooneous said:

This just in: He died in Mary-Kate Olsen's apartment.

Well, an apartment owned by her...your wording suggests something else.

[Noj]

  porcy62 said:

Yes, sad news. Like the death of River Phoenix. A young talented actor and, presumibly, a tender heart human being. Sad. RIP

Exactly my thoughts, it's River Phoenix all over again. Stupid pills.

RIP.

[7/4]

  Spontooneous said:

This just in: He died in Mary-Kate Olsen's apartment.

This just in from the NYTimes:

  Quote

Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s deputy commissioner for public information, initially said that the apartment was owned by the actress Mary-Kate Olsen, but later reversed himself and said that was not the case.

A representative of Ms. Olsen said that the apartment did not belong to the actress. “It is not her apartment,” the representative, Annette Wolf, a publicist for Ms. Olsen, said in a phone interview. “She does not own the apartment. She has never owned the apartment. She and her sister have an apartment in New York City but they are not in this building.”

[Van Basten II]

Few days after Brad Renfro, that's a shame to see all that wasted talent.

[Chuck Nessa]

  7/4 said:

  Spontooneous said:

This just in: He died in Mary-Kate Olsen's apartment.

This just in from the NYTimes:

  Quote

Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s deputy commissioner for public information, initially said that the apartment was owned by the actress Mary-Kate Olsen, but later reversed himself and said that was not the case.

A representative of Ms. Olsen said that the apartment did not belong to the actress. “It is not her apartment,” the representative, Annette Wolf, a publicist for Ms. Olsen, said in a phone interview. “She does not own the apartment. She has never owned the apartment. She and her sister have an apartment in New York City but they are not in this building.”

Might this be folks avoiding the "rent control police"?

[BruceH]

Heard about this on NPR this morning...what a shock!! And only 28??? Such a waste!

[Christiern]

  BruceH said:

Heard about this on NPR this morning...what a shock!! And only 28??? Such a waste!

His body was found around 3:31 PM, but you heard about it this morning. Could I have the name of your crystal ball gazer?

[Chuck Nessa]

  Christiern said:

  BruceH said:

Heard about this on NPR this morning...what a shock!! And only 28??? Such a waste!

His body was found around 3:31 PM, but you heard about it this morning. Could I have the name of your crystal ball gazer?

Or the name of the reporter.

[David Gitin]

Good actor. His performances were quite memorable.

Edited January 23, 2008 by David Gitin

[sal]

I thought his performance in "Monsters Ball" was very affecting. He never got enough credit for that small role.

[7/4]

  David Gitin said:

I believe he was in his thirties (check out his birthdate online somewhere). Good actor. His performances were quite memorable.

4 April 1979 (from imdb.com)

[Rooster_Ties]

RIP... ...I thought his performance in Brokeback Mountain was nuanced and incredibly compelling.

PS: Just saw this in one on-line obit: "At the time of his death, Ledger had just finished playing the villain The Joker in "The Dark Knight," the latest installment in the Batman series. The film is to open in July."

Edited January 23, 2008 by Rooster_Ties

[Aggie87]

  Rooster_Ties said:

PS: Just saw this in one on-line obit: "At the time of his death, Ledger had just finished playing the villain The Joker in "The Dark Knight," the latest installment in the Batman series. The film is to open in July."

His version of The Joker appears to be a little different than Nicholson:

[7/4]

  Aggie87 said:

  Rooster_Ties said:

PS: Just saw this in one on-line obit: "At the time of his death, Ledger had just finished playing the villain The Joker in "The Dark Knight," the latest installment in the Batman series. The film is to open in July."

His version of The Joker appears to be a little different than Nicholson:

The makeup sure is casual...I like it.

One thing that gets me, is the location. I have a good friend that has a long time bartending gig a few blocks away. Our own JLarsen lives in that neighborhood, a bit North of there, I think. But then, that's the city...these things happen and there's a lot of people there...

[Kalo]

Sad. I really liked him in I'm Not There.

[AndrewHill]

As soon as my wife learned of his death, she's been really taking it hard. I'm personally not a fan but he seemed to be a good actor. So, with respect. I send my wishes. RIP.