Heath Ledger News

Batman Director’s Moving Tribute to Heath Ledger

Christopher Nolan director of this summer Batman franchise, The Dark Knight where Heath Ledger starred as Joker has written a touching tribute to the departed actor. Nolan shared these memories he had with Ledger.

“One night, as I’m standing on LaSalle Street in Chicago, trying to line up a shot for “The Dark Knight,” a production assistant skateboards into my line of sight. Silently, I curse the moment that Heath first skated onto our set in full character makeup. I’d fretted about the reaction of Batman fans to a skateboarding Joker, but the actual result was a proliferation of skateboards among the younger crew members. If you’d asked those kids why they had chosen to bring their boards to work, they would have answered honestly that they didn’t know. That’s real charisma—as invisible and natural as gravity. That’s what Heath had.

Heath was bursting with creativity. It was in his every gesture. He once told me that he liked to wait between jobs until he was creatively hungry. Until he needed it again. He brought that attitude to our set every day. There aren’t many actors who can make you feel ashamed of how often you complain about doing the best job in the world. Heath was one of them.

Those nights on the streets of Chicago were filled with stunts. These can be boring times for an actor, but Heath was fascinated, eagerly accepting our invitation to ride in the camera car as we chased vehicles through movie traffic—not just for the thrill ride, but to be a part of it. Of everything. He’d brought his laptop along in the car, and we had a high-speed screening of two of his works-in-progress: short films he’d made that were exciting and haunting. Their exuberance made me feel jaded and leaden. I’ve never felt as old as I did watching Heath explore his talents. That night I made him an offer—knowing he wouldn’t take me up on it—that he should feel free to come by the set when he had a night off so he could see what we were up to.

When you get into the edit suite after shooting a movie, you feel a responsibility to an actor who has trusted you, and Heath gave us everything. As we started my cut, I would wonder about each take we chose, each trim we made. I would visualize the screening where we’d have to show him the finished film—sitting three or four rows behind him, watching the movements of his head for clues to what he was thinking about what we’d done with all that he’d given us. Now that screening will never be real. I see him every day in my edit suite. I study his face, his voice. And I miss him terribly.

Back on LaSalle Street, I turn to my assistant director and I tell him to clear the skateboarding kid out of my line of sight when I realize—it’s Heath, woolly hat pulled low over his eyes, here on his night off to take me up on my offer. I can’t help but smile.”Rest in Peace Heath Ledger

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Heath Ledger’s Body Flown Back to Australia For Burial

Heath Ledger’s casket was flown back to Australia on Friday and expected to be buried in his hometown of Perth.

Ledger’s friends and families gathered at Funeral Home in New York City on Friday afternoon for a private memorial.

Police had set up barricades outside the funeral home earlier that day to control hordes of paparazzi and mainstream media outside the funeral home.

Heath’s grieving family members placed messages of remembrance in Friday’s West Australian newspaper.

A note signed by the entire family read: “How do we describe our sudden and tragic loss? … You were the most amazing individual “old soul” in a young man’s body.

You so loved us, as we dearly loved you. As a close knit and very private family unit we have observed you so determined yet quietly travelling in your self-styled path in life, nothing would get in your way … no mountain too tall, no river too wide.

You dreamed your dreams and lived them with passion and intelligent commitment. We have been privileged to accompany you on a ride through life that has simply been amazing and through it all, we have loved each other beyond imagination.

Your true legacy lives on in beautiful little Matilda, who will always remain in the greatest of care. Our hearts are broken.”

[Photo: WireImage]

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Could Heath Ledger Be Alive?

Will Heath Ledger be alive today shall his masseuse called 911 instead of Mary-Kate Olsen or is certified in CPR?

Diana Lee Wolozin, the masseuse who found Heath’s body on Tuesday, made three calls to Mary-Kate before calling 911 and now Us Magazine is reporting that Diana does not hold a state license to perform massage therapy.

She is not listed on the New York State Education Department’s Web site, which tracks licensed health care professionals. (Licensed massage therapists are supposed to be certified in CPR.)

Practicing massage therapy without a license is a felony and Wolozin could face fines or jail time.

“We have notified the New York City Police Department as part of their investigation that no one by that name is licensed as a massage therapist in the state of New York,” Jonathan Burman, spokesman for the New York State Education Department, tells Usmagazine.com.

Kathleen Doyle, Executive Secretary for the State Board, tells Us, “I can only tell you that in New York state, at this time, the law requires that any person who uses the titles ‘masseur, masseuse or massage therapist’ must possess a license. It’s a health profession in New York.”

Wolozin had phoned Olsen three times before calling 911. Emergency workers arrived about 23 minutes after Ledger’s body was discovered by Wolozin.

Could Heath Ledger be alive today if his masseuse did better?

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Relationship of Heath Ledger and Mary-Kate

What is the real connection between Heath Ledger and Mary-Kate Olsen?

People magazine is reporting about an apparent “intimate” relationship between the pair, three months prior to the actor’s death.

According to the magazine, Heath and Mary-Kate first met over the summer of 2006 when he was still together with Michelle Williams. At the time he was living at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood.

More recently, “Mary-Kate and Heath were casually dating for three months before Heath’s death,” a source has told PEOPLE. “They were hooking up, but neither were particularly interested in making it exclusive.”

As for what drew the two together, says the source, “They had a bond that was based on partying, and they had the same tastes in partying … like, in terms of where they liked to hang out in New York, what time they would want to go out. They just had the same sensibility.”

Mary-Kate released the following statement to the media through her rep on Friday.

“Heath was a friend. His death is a tragic loss. My thoughts are with his family during this very difficult time.”

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Father of Michelle Williams Speaks

Father of Heath Ledger’s ex-fiance, Michelle Williams told The Daily Telegraph that Heath’s death has left his family heart broken.

Larry Williams described Heath as a great talent and an amazing father.

“I think Tennyson got it right in the poem when he described someone as having died at a young age but burning the candles at both ends, and oh what a beautiful flame he made, that was Heath, what a beautiful flame he made and a great talent.”

“My heart goes out to everyone in his family and my family.”

“The saddest thing is his daughter whom he just loved dearly.”

Its indeed heartbreaking for Heath family and his daughter Matilda Rose who is probably too young to understand what happened.

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Heath Ledger’s Dad Speaks

Heath Ledger’s dad, Kim addressed an Australian television broadcast on Wednesday regarding his son’s death.

Here is what Kim said:

“We, Heath’s family, confirm, the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda. He was found peacefully asleep in his New York apartment by his housekeeper at 3:30 p.m. U.S. time.

We would like to thank our friends and everyone around the world for their well wishes and kind thoughts at this time. Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life but few had the pleasure of truly knowing him.

He was a down to earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving and selfless individual who was extremely inspirational to many. Please now respect our family’s need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately.”

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Heath Ledger’s Tragic Death

Australian actor, Heath Ledger was found dead at his downtown Manhattan residence around 3:26p.m Tuesday. He was 28.

Police said they did not suspect foul play and believe that the Oscar nominated actor’s death was caused by accidental drug overdose after “prescription-type drugs” was found near his body — the numerous pill bottles were nearly full.

Among the last few images of Heath Ledget before his tragic death. He was filming on the set of the movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus in London.

Six different types of prescription drugs were found in the apartment including anti-anxiety medications and sleeping pills. Three of the drugs were prescribed in Europe, where Ledger had been filming recently.

NYPD found a rolled up $20 bill near his bed but tests found no drugs residue on the bill.

Ledger was found by his housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, 56, who got into his room, trying to let him know his masseuse had arrived. Ledger was nude, lying on the floor curled up, at the foot of his bed. They added that Ledger probably died sometime between 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday of what authorities say may be an accidental drug overdose.

Body of Heath Ledger being removed from his apartment by representative of medical examiner’s office.

Autopsy had been performed on Heath but his exact cause of death will only be determined when the toxicology results gets in sometime in the next two weeks. At the time meantime, his body has been released to a New York City funeral home. Arrangements have not been disclosed.

Mary-Kate Olsen’s Link To The Case

Ledger’s housekeeper arrived at his apartment with her own key and let herself in. At 1 p.m., she went to his bedroom to change a light bulb, and saw Ledger sleeping and heard him snoring. She left the room without thinking anything was wrong.

At 2:45 p.m., massage therapist, Diana Wolozin showed up for Ledger’s regular scheduled massage appoint at 3:00pm, he didn’t answer when she knocked on his door. She then tried to call him on his cell phone, but again got no response. She was later let into the bedroom by Heath’s housekeeper, set up her massage table and again tried to wake Ledger.

Wolozin told police that Ledger was cold to the touch, but that she assumed he was just unconscious. She grabbed his cell phone and called Mary-Kate Olsen, whose number was programmed into the phone. Wolozin knew that the “Full House” star and Ledger were friends, and she asked Olsen for advice on what she should do next.

Olsen, who also lives in Manhattan but was in California at the time, responded by saying she would send over her private security guards to help deal with the situation. In the ensuing moments, Wolozin realized that Ledger might be dead. She called Olsen again, then called 911.

The emergency operator provided Wolozin directions on how to do CPR, but it was too late.

Paramedics and Olsen’s security guard arrived just minutes later.

Ledger’s Career & a Baby Girl

Heath began his acting career in 1996, when he was 17, in an Australian TV series called Sweat, but later found big-screen stardom in Hollywood with 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You, opposite Julia Stiles. He continue working on films with huge box office success including 2000’s The Patriot and 2001’s A Knight’s Tale and Monster’s Ball.

Ledger met actress, Michelle Williams on the cast of his Oscar nominated role, Brokeback Mountain in 2005. Ledger and Williams began a romantic relationship. They dated and got engaged shortly after they met on cast of the movie.

The pair remained engaged when they had their daughter, Matilda and lived together in Brooklyn until they splits September, last year. 2-year-old Matilda had been living with Michelle since their split.

Photo of Michelle Williams and Matilda Rose on Labor Day last year.

In his regular life, he clearly embraced being a dad to Matilda. “Fatherhood has changed me as an artist because I feel things on a deeper level,” he said. “I think my performances will grow simultaneously.”

He was to appear as the Joker this year in The Dark Knight, a sequel to 2005’s Batman Begins.

Heath’s Sleepless Night

New York’s Washington Square Park was a place for Heath to roam when he have trouble sleeping.

“He would walk early in the morning – around 6:30 a.m. or 7,” says retired city-worker Tony Rivera, 52, who walks his dog in the park each day at that time, “because, he said, he always had trouble sleeping. That’s why he’d come out so early in the morning.”

He often talked about his daughter, says Rivera, who struck up a chat with the actor during one of his sleepless strolls. “He said it was a great thing, being a dad.”

Ledger spoke in a recent interview about how work-related stress gave him insomnia. During the shooting of his last completed film, The Dark Knight, Ledger told The New York Times in November that he often took the prescribed sleeping aid, Ambien, in an attempt to coax himself into a slumber.

“Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,” he told The Times. “I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted and my mind was still going.” Ledger continued to say that taking one pill had no effect on him. He’d have to take second to fall asleep, only to awake an hour later with his “mind still racing.”

Heath and Daughter, Matilda’s Footprint in Brooklyn

Heath’s neighbors, Roger Lang, who lived across the street from Ledger and Michelle Williams during the then-couple’s time in Brooklyn, tell media that Ledger left a footprint marking of Matilda in wet cement near the fire hydrant in front of their house.

“The Matilda thing in the sidewalk with the footprints, he did that about two years ago,” Lang says. “It was a secret. It was a fun thing. He did it as a surprise for his family.”

Last night, a bouquet of flowers was placed next to the concrete imprint of their young daughter’s foot.

Fans continues to lay flowers and candles outside of his apartment at 421 Broome Street.

Cover Story of Heath Ledger’s Death

Heath Ledger’s death quickly became the cover story of most weekly celebrity gossip magazine. People magazine and Entertainment Weekly are among the first.

Rest in Peace, Heath Ledger 1979 - 2008.

[Photo: WireImage, TMZ]

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The Dark Knight Trailer

Movie trailer to the upcoming Batman sequel The Black Knight is out!

The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger set for a release on July 18, 2008.

It does look better than the last film.

Click Here to watch The Dark Knight movie trailer.

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