by J.R. Lewis

Created on: January 25, 2008   Last Updated: January 06, 2009

I can't believe it has been a year since the death of Heath Ledger.

As a film fan, I will miss him because of his talent. He had a special tenderness and along with his boyish good looks, there were few others that could rival his skill and ability.

Hollywood will be dimmer without him. The industry will mourn his loss for countless years. There is simply no one else who can fill his shoes.

Sadly, what roles he could have had, all the greater achievements he might have tackled, we will never know. His short life did not have enough time to complete all it was capable of, his few years did not allow him to hit the highest summit.

What work he did leave behind is impressive. Not happy to be a romantic lead, he pushed himself, challenged himself, and in turn, he created genius.

He shined as an actor.

With as much passion as he put forward into his work, it is certain that he embraced his loved ones with the same zeal. Pictures of him with his daughter bring a tear to my eyes, he looked as if he were holding the most important treasure in the world. And, I guess, to him, in many aspects, he was.

It is heartbreaking to know that she will be without him, that he won't be the one to drive her to her first day of school or shaking hands with her first teacher. It saddens me that she will not have her Daddy to walk her down the aisle on her special day. She will be without him.

I feel for his parents. It's unnatural to outlive a child. As a parents, I cannot imagine the level of difficulty of such a loss. I hurt for his siblings, how empty it must be to pass that room he used to occupy in their childhood and know he will never return.

For the mother of his child, my heart breaks as well. No matter what the relationship had become, after sharing love and time and a child, it must feel like a throbbing hollow place on the inside. It is bound to be harder without him parenting, making the hard choices alone.

Though a year has come and gone, his loss is still raw. Still heartbreaking. He will live on through his work, through his loved ones, and through his beautiful little girl. And, as sure as a soul has wings, I have little doubt he will beside those who love and know him best, even if they cannot see him, loving them with that passion he had.

Time does not take away the hurt, it grants us time for reflection.

Bless his heart and bless his family, they remain in my prayers.

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