1979-2008: Remembering Heath Ledger On The 12th Anniversary Of His Passing

Jan 22, 2020 by apost team

It has been 12 years since Heath Ledger tragically passed away in 2008 seemingly at the peak of his career. He left behind his little girl, Matilda, from his relationship with Michelle Williams, and the countless movies he performed in. Remembering Heath Ledger on the 12th anniversary of his passing:

Ledger told Rolling Stone he grew up in Perth, Western Australia, “The most isolated city in the world." By 16-years-old the Aussie knew he wanted to begin acting. In 1999, he took a role in the romantic comedy "10 Things I Hate About You" which gave him the attention of other directors, however, Ledger wouldn't take any other teen roles. He was cast in Mel Gibson's "The Patriot" and "A Knight’s Tale," all while being 21-years-old. 

apost.com

However, being swept so quickly into Hollywood can have its effects. “It was a full-on anxiety attack,” Ledger told the magazine about when he locked himself inside a bathroom during a studio meeting. “I was hitting my head, hitting the walls,” he said. 

After the incident, Ledger sought to control where his career was going. He wanted to scrap his handsome role persona. “I wanted to take the blond out of my career,” he said, “kill the direction it was going. I was like, ‘How am I going to make this a career I would like to have?'”

He began taking edgier and darker roles. Ledger was known for his acting style of becoming the character he was portraying. “Performance comes from believing what you’re doing,” Ledger said. “You convince yourself, and believe in the story with all your heart.” 

Taking roles such as in "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Dark Knight" showed the limits Ledger was able to press himself to. However, the actor admitted he had trouble sleeping which led to drug use. “I need to do something with this head, because sometimes I just don’t sleep, it just keeps ticking," Ledger said. 

The actor's cause of death was determined to be a prescription drug cocktail that stopped his heart. Xanax, Valium and Ambien, which the actor took to help him sleep ended up making him never wake up. However, Ledger's memory lives on through the work he created and the people he worked with and loved. 

“Heath was a true artist. This is an unimaginable tragedy.” "Brokeback" director Ang Lee said. "Dark Knight" director Chris Nolan wrote, “Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life.” 

What do you remember about Heath Ledger? Tell us your thoughts below. Pass this article on to your friends and family to see what they think.