CNN was reporting this when the news broke about his death. It's a joke, I have never been more upset with CNN until now. This is on par with people blaming video games for people being violent and mentally unstable. No one can handle personal responsibility these days. It's all about passing the buck.

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I totally agree you cannot blame video games for violence, but this is actually a completely different category. The bottom line is the guy OD'd on sleeping pills. Do you have any idea how easy that would be? Sure, the guy had 6 bottles of PRESCRIPTION meds in his home but it's been 5 days and I still don't know what they all are. How hard is it to read a label and publicize it? Anyway...they could've all been sleeping pills, because he was on record as saying the one's he took didn't work. Accidental OD'ing on PRESCRIPTION meds is definitely NOT in the same category as picking up a gun and going to a mall or school with the intention of killing others.

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What does cienematical keep using a very weary, haggard Joker pic? Like now that Ledger is dead they need to use the most gruesome, sickly looking Joker pic that exist. Why not just use a picture of Ledger not from "The Dark Knight", or if its Joker related can't you use something, maybe the "Empire" cover photo? I think this one just emphasies a real life tragedy.

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So you think it is totally understandable for an actor to OD because of an acting role? How is that different than some one believing that violence is caused by video games? I don't think you are reading my original comment correctly. I was saying if he did OD, accidental or not, HE is responsible for his death, not his part in "The Dark Knight."

Also, the test results from his body were inconclusive. They aren't sure what cause his death ultimately until the toxicology report comes back. Could've been something other than an overdose, he also had pneumonia.

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Neoxkc is completely correct, we are now living in an age where nobody needs to take any responsibility for their own actions and can just blame something or someone else. We mostly all agree that it is a bloody tragedy, a real loss not only to his family but to all film fans who have been deprived of a talent that certainly seemed to have a very bright future.

But for people to be blaming heath's mental state on demands of playing the Joker is totally wrong. For a start imagine how Christopher Nolan must be feeling at the moment with everybody mouthing off that his movie killed Heath Ledger? Why would anyone want to put that kind of undue pressure on a very talented director like Nolan?

Anyway, everybody seems to be missing the main point, The Dark Knight finished shooting ages ago. Heath Ledger had been home to Australia for a Christmas break since then and by all accounts had plenty of rest then. He had already finished shooting 1/3 of the new Gilliam movie by then. If Heath was exhausted from working himself too hard then that is one thing but for anyone to be suggesting that it was the punishing schedule of a single movie that did this is just bloody stupid and irresponsible to be honest.

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I wasn't talking to you, I was replying to Bob and his comment below mine. I thought I hit the right button, but I guess not, so it showed up as a different comment entirely. I totally agree with you and your article Erik.

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I agree that it's a cop out to blame a role in a movie for a person's death..what makes me madder and sadder is that everyone spent more time covering Heath's death, & what only 1 day for Brad Renfro!

The only reason that 89.9% people really cared about his death, is that Heath was in the new Batman film! If he wan't in the new Batman film, he would have garned less coverage!

I mean come on people, Brad Renfro just completed filming on the yet unreleased movie "The Informers", co-starring Winona Ryder and Billy Bob Thornton. So what about that film as well???

To say Heath went mad filming "Dark Knight" because he played the Joker is just adding mythology to his life and career!

For example look at some of the nutty roles Jack Nicholson did I.E. "The Shining", "Batman" & "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and he is still very much alive!!!

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The saddest thing of all is he leaves behind a two year old now fatherless little daughter. The rest is all irrelevant compared to that.

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It's gotta be a combination of his Joker role, The Dylan role and breaking it off with Michelle Williams. Sure, it's hard for some actors to divorce themselves from intense roles (could be one fo the reasons Daniel Day-Lewis takes so much time off between roles? Just a guess) but that's why there are classes actors can take to train them how to "come down" from a role. I think it would be lame for WB to change their marketing plan now. I mean....why? Who is it disturbing? If Ledger did such a great job and The Joker has such a integral role (which seems true on both accounts) then why hold back? If anything celebrate his last finished role filmed!

Like lucy said above, I feel the saddest thing is that he left a lil girl unintentionally fatherless.

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There's been some new info since this article was posted...the autopsy reports that the levels of drugs in his body were not high enough to cause an overdose. So Ledger did not OD. There's some speculation that he had a heart attack, that the death was natural.

While I don't think playing the Joker helped his health and well being entirely, I don't think it was the cause of his tragic death. Like David F mentioned, it could have been a combination of stressors in his life. No one in the media knew him personally - who knows what else he could have been going through.

It could be that even though he was young, his health was very poor. It could also have been that his mental state was so wrecked, and had been for quite some time, that it caused his body to break down. The brain is connected to the body in that sense. The reality of it is people need to sleep. Sleep deprivation can cause all sorts of serious problems - most people just aren't aware of this. They don't realize how much of an impact it has. Someone with a history of insomnia raises his or her risk of heart disease.

It's just all very sad...

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The Role had nothing to do with it. Heath said this is the most fun he has ever had acting.

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