Acorn

Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Arts and Leisure

Media Credit: alannaaa.wordpress.com Heath Ledger

In the late afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 22, a friend sent me a text message with the words, "Heath Ledger killed himself!" I had to catch my breath and scrambled to search the Internet for any sign that she was wrong, that this was some kind of horrendous joke.

Earlier, at 3:35 p.m., the 28-year-old Australian-born actor had been pronounced dead in his Manhattan apartment. While a definite cause of death has not yet been released, there has been speculation that he may have accidentally overdosed on prescribed sleeping pills.

As a 13-year-old girl just beginning to graduate to PG-13 movies without adult supervision, I jumped at the chance to see the Shakespeare-inspired yet teenager-friendly "10 Things I Hate About You." The moment I laid eyes on the raven-haired bad boy that was Patrick Verona in all his mysterious, misunderstood glory, I was in love.

Heath Ledger embodied the role so naturally that he had every pubescent girl in the country lucky enough to watch him wishing Patrick Verona existed. I was one of them. That Tuesday, that same 13-year old girl was devastated by the loss of one of the most talented young actors we may ever have seen.

All of the sudden, I was mourning the death of a man I knew only by face and name-someone I never met. Nevertheless, from seeing his work, seeing him do what he loved, it was obvious he would have had a long, satisfying career.

Of course, he was certifiable eye candy. But behind the puppy dog-brown eyes, self-satisfied smirk and tousled blonde curly hair, beyond the irresistible Aussie accent, he was more. He brought surprising depth and tenderness to every role, big or small. This is truest for Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain," a role in which you can actually see him disappear into himself for the good of an epic movie and a character that was destined to render the world speechless. He was heartbreaking and troubled as a conflicted prison guard in "Monster's Ball." In "A Knight's Tale," my personal favorite, he was fearless, vulnerable and entrancing. He was a convincing Casanova, a valiant young soldier in "The Patriot," and he may prove to be the most disturbed, depraved and terrifying Joker fans have ever seen in the next Batman installment.

He could be serious without being condescending, lighthearted but focused. He was talented but humble, confident but never too self-assured. He was a man who would have undoubtedly risen to the ranks of some of the most respected actors of our time, had he lived. He was a father, a son, a brother and a comfort to billions all over the world. We can suppose that if given the chance, he would have seen the kind of success that a true, enduring talent with relentless dedication to his art deserves.

Despite the glaring absence of a dedicated, talented actor, Hollywood's loss is paled by comparison to the loss suffered by his family and friends. Soon, a mother and father will bury their son, grieving sisters must bid their brother goodbye, and a little girl will grow up not knowing her father. Years from now, Ledger shouldn't be remembered as just another faceless actor who passed away. He deserves to be remembered for the comfort and joy his movies brought so many, for the passion he had for his work and for the great things we would have undoubtedly seen from him in the future, if only his promising career had not ended much too soon.

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