Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

News Sections

Newser Specials

Heath: The New James Dean?

Started by K Schwartz; Last updated by P Spain | View history

Rate it:

Print

E-mail

|

Digg

Seed this on Newsvine

Add this link to Del.icio.us

StumbleUpon

| Edit thread | Notify editors | + Start a new thread

Heath: The New James Dean?

"Losing him at any age would be a loss." -John Travolta

The entertainment world's response was a shocked one after learning that the 28-year-old Oscar-nominated actor had been found dead in a New York City apartment. Rumors of heroin-use, sleeping problems and prescription pills continued to be just that, as police and his family call the death accidental. A conclusive autopsy ruled that Ledger died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. And there is nothing like dying young to make yourself legendary

Stories

Stories 21 - 40 of 43

<< Prev 1 2 3 Next >>

February 2008
- Ledger's Death Sheds Light on 'Polypharmacy'
  
  USA Today | Feb 12, 08 10:11 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Before you take two of anything, make sure you're acting on doctor's orders experts say. In the wake of Heath Ledger's death by accidental overdose, USA Today probes the dangers of polypharmacy, or taking multiple drugs at once. "It's extraordinarily dangerous for people to try to self-medicate," says a DEA spokeswoman. "It's like having a loaded gun." More »
- Heath Mourned at Aussie Service
  
  Associated Press | Feb 9, 08 7:43 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Family, friends, and hundreds of other mourners gathered today for Heath Ledger’s hometown memorial service, the AP reports. The Perth, Australia, ceremony drew guests close to the actor, including former fiancee Michelle Williams and actress Cate Blanchett, who spoke at the service, as did Ledger’s parents and sister. “It was a wonderful tribute to a wonderful West Australian,” said a state legislator. More »
- Accidental OD Killed Ledger
  
  Associated Press | Feb 6, 08 9:26 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Actor Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of sleeping pills, painkillers, and anti-anxiety medication, the New York City Medical Examiner's Office ruled today. OxyContin, Valium, Xanax, Restoril, Unisom, and ibuprofen combined to result in a lethal "acute intoxication," an ME spokeswoman told the AP. More »
- Ledger's Ex Appeals for Privacy
  
  E! Online | Feb 1, 08 3:56 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Heath Ledger's ex-fiancee, Michelle Williams, made her first public statement since the actor's death today, asking the press and public to "respect our need to grieve privately." The 27-year-old actress met Ledger on the set of Brokeback Mountain in 2005, the same year their daughter was born. They broke up in September. More »
January 2008
- Heath, Michelle Split Over Drugs
  
  New York Post | Jan 31, 08 12:49 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Heath Ledger's cocaine and heroin use became so bad over the past year that girlfriend Michelle Williams kicked him out of their Brooklyn home and threatened to take custody of daughter Matilda, the New York Post reports. A "drug pal" described partying bouts just as two TV shows decided not to air video of the late actor snorting cocaine two years ago. More »
- Director May Save Ledger's Last Film
  
  People | Jan 28, 08 6:43 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Heath Ledger's last unfinished film may live on thanks to the magic of CGI, People reports. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was partly about sorcery, so Ledger's character could morph into someone else using computer wizardry, co-star Christopher Plummer said. He added that director Terry Gilliam is "throwing himself into the job of trying to salvage" the $30 million picture. More »
- Ledger's Kin Bid Farewell in LA
  
  The Australian | Jan 28, 08 3:35 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Actor Heath Ledger's family and friends held a private memorial in Los Angeles Saturday before his body was flown to his native Australia for funeral services. Mourners included his parents, sister Kate, ex-girlfriend actress Michelle Williams—mother of his toddler daughter, Matilda—and another former lover, Naomi Watts, reports the Australian . Security guards kept away paparazzi and anti-gay activists protesting Ledger's role in Brokeback Mountain . More »
- Ledger Begins Final Journey
  
  Sydney Morning Herald | Jan 26, 08 8:18 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Cops held paparazzi back as Heath Ledger's body, inside a wooden shipping crate, was removed from a Manhattan funeral home yesterday for the journey to Australia, where the 28-year-old actor will be buried, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. A private memorial service was held in New York yesterday, and a public one will be held in Los Angeles next week. More »
- Overdose Deaths Up Sharply
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jan 26, 08 8:05 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The death of Heath Ledger from a suspected drug overdose has highlighted a huge spike in drug overdoses in the US, reports the Los Angeles Times . Accidental poisoning deaths, 95% of which are overdoses, rose sharply from 12,186 in 1999 to 20,950 in 2004. Doctors say prescription drugs, which are often casually prescribed and easy to get online, are behind the alarming rise. More »
- To an Artist Dying Young
  
  Times (UK) | Jan 25, 08 12:15 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Heath Ledger's death at 28 recalls a long tradition of bright young careers snuffed out before their time, from Shelley and Keats to James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. The Romantic ideal of the doomed artist holds great appeal, Ben Macintyre writes in the Times of London, but we go too far with the "morbid celebration of pointless death and wasted genius." More »
- Ledger's Family Prepares for Final Farewell
  
  New York Daily News | Jan 25, 08 4:22 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Heath Ledger's grieving father is flying to New York today from Australia to make funeral arrangements for the 28-year-old actor found dead in his Soho loft, reports the New York Daily News . "He wants to be with his son," said a Manhattan funeral home director. Ledger's ex Michelle Williams also arrived back from a film shoot in Sweden yesterday with the couple's 2-year-old daughter, Matilda. More »
- Hate Church Plans to Picket Ledger Funeral
  
  Scoop | Jan 24, 08 9:53 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - A homophobic Kansas church known for protesting at the funerals of dead soldiers has announced plans to picket Heath Ledger's funeral because he played a gay character in Brokeback Mountain , MSNBC reports. "He got on that big screen with a big, fat message: God is a liar and it's OK to be gay,” said a statement from the Westboro Baptist Church. More »
- Ledger Masseuse Called Olsen Twin Before 911
  
  New York Daily News | Jan 24, 08 5:10 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The masseuse who found actor Heath Ledger's body in his Soho loft used a speed-dial on his cell phone to call gal-pal actress Mary-Kate Olsen in California—twice—before calling 911, reports the New York Daily News . In the second call, the panicky masseuse told Olsen: "I think he might be dead. I'm calling 911!" Olsen had already dispatched bodyguards to the apartment and they arrived at the same time as police. More »
- Ledger: The Light and the Dark
  
  New York Times | Jan 23, 08 8:09 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - In the frenzy surrounding actor Heath Ledger’s sudden death, it's tempting to conflate the “troubled, brooding, self-destructive” qualities he portrayed so stunningly—in Brokeback Mountain ’s Ennis Del Mar, the heroin addict in Candy , the unhappy film star in I’m Not There —with some hidden anguish of his own. But to do so is to do a disservice to Ledger’s acting talents, writes New York Times critic AO Scott in an appreciation. More »
- Rolled $20 Found Near Ledger
  
  Associated Press | Jan 23, 08 4:18 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - A rolled-up $20 bill was discovered close to Heath Ledger’s body, the AP reports. No illegal drugs were found in the New York apartment where the 28-year-old Australian actor was found dead yesterday, and a police official said there was no visible drug residue on the bill, which will be tested in a crime lab. More »
- Ledger Autopsy Inconclusive
  
  Associated Press | Jan 23, 08 9:56 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - An autopsy on actor Heath Ledger was inconclusive, the AP reports, and a medical examiner's office spokeswoman says that further needed tests will take about 10 days. Meanwhile, Ledger's family echoed earlier police statements that the actor had not committed suicide—rather, his death was “tragic, untimely, and accidental," his father said. More »
- Hunky Heath Savored Challenges
  
  Washington Post | Jan 23, 08 6:40 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The late Heath Ledger, found dead yesterday in his Manhattan apartment, was a "craggy, sexy" actor who went about his craft with almost painful seriousness, says the Washington Post . He left an undeniable mark in film history, from his role in teen flick 10 Things I Hate About You as a fresh-faced unknown to his final part as the Joker in the upcoming Batman movie. More »
- Jack Nicholson: "I Warned Him"