<p>It’s really sad, absolutely, when someone dies, and especially someone this young. But I gotta admit to being mystified–actually, weirded out–that it’s the subject of two threads here. (even one, to tell the truth.)</p>
<p>Me too, Garland. My H came home and heard the news, and he was quite stunned about it, really reacted. Something about this fellow must have struck a major chord with a lot of folks. His poor family…</p>
<p>I’m not mystified. This is very sad and I am stunned too. Two local kids just died in a car accident and a ski accident. What is more important than life and death? If there were 2 threads about George Foreman grills, probably no one would be surprised.</p>
<p>I read this on Perez (one of my vices lol) earlier.</p>
<p>It’s so tragic, esp. because he has a daughter. He was probably depressed :(</p>
<p>Sure enough, my daughter rang me from NYC this evening walking to rehearsal to say, “Do you know that Heath Ledger died??” She was just blown away. For one thing, my D lives very near him and also as I posted earlier, Ledger was watching a performance she did recently. She said she had idolized him for years (she is also an actor) and she was researching something online about his movies and went to Wikipedia to look up his bio and saw in the bio that he had died (geez, they must have updated that mighty quickly as he had only died four hours before she called me) and that’s how she found out. I told her, “I know,” and she was like, “how do you know?” And then I told her it was all over the news. Kinda weird she came across it today on Wikipedia by chance. She felt awful about it and the fact that he was in his prime and also had a young child. :(</p>
<p>OMG, Bethie, I am so so sorry to hear about the two local kids in the car and ski accidents! I don’t know how I missed that news. That is entirely devastating. Was this today too? There is just too much tragedy lately.</p>
<p>My daughter saw a news report online about Ledger’s death at 5 PM today (she was talking to me on the phone when it appeared on her computer). I don’t think she realized at the time that the report was brand new. For some reason, she thought to check his Wikipedia article to try to verify whether he really was dead. His death was mentioned in the Wikipedia article.</p>
<p>According to the New York Times, Ledger’s body was discovered at 3:30. The news was therefore incorporated into Wikipedia within 90 minutes. I don’t know what this says about the people who put together Wikipedia, but it must be indicative of something.</p>
<p>A terrible waste. He was brilliant in Brokeback Mountain.</p>
<p>Yesterday and today I think, but we were gone and just got home. The ski accident was a VT person we love who has been in school in Montana. The car accident happened locally.</p>
<p>I have merged the two threads on this topic.</p>
<p>Thanks, CollegeMom.</p>
<p>yes very sad!!!</p>
<p>I think it’s more shocking because he wasn’t the type who was always getting into trouble or in the tabloids (although maybe he was???..I don’t follow that stuff too closely). Like in comparison to Britney and Lindsay and whatever other young celebs/dramaqueen/dramakings are out there. Plus this guy had talent!</p>
<p>Bethie,
I had read about an avalanche in Montana that killed a skier who was a student at Montana State and I am wondering if that is the same person? If so, I had no idea he was from Vermont, though some kids in this region do attend that college. The story caught my attention as my husband skis out of bounds (though avalanches are much rarer here in the East but he has done this other places and in fact at one place where many died in an avalanche). So, I noticed this story on the internet. I am so very sorry! Actually, come to think of it, I think I read about a car accident recently in VT and that may be this person you know, not sure. These situations pull at my heartstrings.</p>
<p>RIP Health Ledger, you will be missed.
Wonderful actor
Its soo sad…</p>
<p>May Heath rest in peace and may his family and friends find comfort in the memories they have of him in happy times.</p>
<p>How does a horrible situation become worse? Fred Phelps and his gang have announced on their website they plan to picket Ledger’s funeral.</p>
<p>That makes me sick to my stomach.</p>
<p>Saw a photo of Heath and his daughter riding on his shoulders - maybe last summer? She looked so much like him. Was as scary as seeing Steve Irwin (the crocodile hunter) and his daughter, whose name is (maybe) Bindi?</p>
<p>Great talent lost. And a reminder, whether the death was suicide or accidental, drugs pose a major risk. Even if he took prescribed sleeping pills, there’s always a concern about how one’s body will metabolize the meds, taking too many, etc.</p>
<p>teriwtt, that’s really disturbing. Fred Phelps is a repulsive human being.</p>
<p>How many funerals will that make it for the Phelps crowd, anyway? It’s despicable.</p>
<p>Yeah, I read that about Phelps as well and it makes me absolutely sick and angry. I hope and pray that people know that these people (the Phelps crowd) do NOT represent the thoughts or feelings of what Christ-followers are supposed to be about. I think every single person I know would be sick and angry at this.</p>
<p>So sad about the loss. I wonder if it will just turn out to be an accidental “overdose” resulting from mixing prescribed and OTC meds. I had a friend who died from just that sort of thing a few years ago. So very tragic!</p>
<p>I read that the autopsy was inconclusive, or at least the preliminary findings were. He apparently suffered from insomnia. </p>
<p>From people.com:
</p>