Heath Ledger, R.I.P.

My mind is troubled, like a fountain stirred,
And I myself see not the bottom of it.
- William Shakespeare

Heath Ledger died in NY yesterday from an apparent drug overdose. He was 28. I had just read in the NYT where his role as The Joker in the upcoming Batman movie (Christian Bale) had taken a huge toll on him. Evidently, playing a heartless psychopath left Ledger unable to sleep, even with multiple doses of Ambien. He obviously was already struggling with a drug habit, as his fiancé, Michelle Williams, had taken their 3 year-old daughter and left him, telling him to go get help. How very sad and tragic.

I remember first seeing Heath playing opposite Mel Gibson in The Patriot. It can’t be easy holding your own, acting with a living legend, but he did a great job. Of course most people will remember him as Enis, in Brokeback Mountain, the movie critics loved but only a few people from the Hamptons actually saw.

May God have mercy on his soul, and may he rest in peace.