by Snow Vandemore

Created on: January 30, 2008

My very first reaction to Heath Ledger's death was thinking that he committed suicide. I'm ashamed to admit that, but until the autopsy report is released, I don't think I'll be sure what caused his death. All I know is that it was a damn precious waste of talent and that yet another little girl will never really know how much her father loved her.

I admired Heath Ledger. I am not what you would call a fan per se, but I did appreciate the unique way he in which he approached his movie roles. Sometimes gritty, often dark, but always memorable. You have to be fairly confident in yourself to play a homosexual cowboy and pull it off. He did that and was nominated for an Academy Award in the process. That's something that even death can't take away from him.

After seeing the movie "The Patriot," when I thought of Heath Ledger, I automatically connected him to Mel Gibson. Maybe it was because Ledger seemed to be following the same path. Both were from Australia and both had started their movie careers as relative unknowns. Whatever the mental cohesion, I'm sure it had much to do with the boyish smiles and rugged looks they both possess. Heath Ledger could have been Mel Gibson's son, at least, in appearance. Maybe also in the way they both fell from grace.

It's always very sad when one of our icons suffers a human experience. I guess it makes us realize that after all, they are just flesh and blood, and susceptible to all human frailties, including death. There's something almost comforting when one of our heroes falls to earth, crashes, and burns. It causes us to feel superior that we didn't die - and we aren't even famous. Nothing sells papers like bad news and Heath Ledger's death is currently on the front page.

Until the next bad news reveals itself, we will continue to ponder the how and the why of Ledger's death. All but a few of us are personally impacted by his death, except for his daughter, close friends and family. It's always sad for someone when a person dies, no matter how famous, infamous, or obscure their lives have been. To say that Heath Ledger's death "touched all of us" is a half-truth. Some grieved, some cried, but everyone paused for a moment to count their own blessings.

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