starsthatshine @ dreamwidth

I'm still thinking about Heath Ledger and his fate. Sure, people die all the time and I'm not in any way saying that his death was more horrific than others before him, but... I loved Heath. I loved the characters he played, how he played them and the way he managed to bring it to all the movies I've seen him in. I loved the way he were in interviews and said thoughtful things (especially thinking about the things he said when he got Matilda).

It's such an extraordinary piece of news to me, not because he was a celebrity or because I loved his acting, but because it's a reminder that you don't get like... a two weeks notice before you die, like I sometimes think. It's an incredible sign of how mortal we humans are in a world that seem to think that we are invincible and that we all will live till we are eighty. We have conquered so many diseases, wars and other evils that I think in a way, death is not a part of life the way it was several years ago. Now we all grow up, surrounded by this fake immortality that we give ourselves.

Children, or people in general, aren't surrounded by death or tragedy the same way they were before. We've grown accustomed and spoiled with life and I think that Heath Ledger's death, who was such a public figure, who basically had "it all", just dies one morning unexpectedly brings that into light. It not like it is with Britney Spears where everyone more or less expects her to kick the bucket any day. These days most people die from sicknesses that have some sort of manifestation (be it physical or mental) and I think that for someone who really seemed to be reaching the prime of his years, to die really bothers people. Not because he was famous. Not because he was young. But because he could be you.

Now I'm in the camp that say "accidental death", just because the sheep are dead doesn't mean I cry wolf, but whether or not it was self-inflicted, I think it serves as a reminder that there are things in this world that you don't expect, that you can't predict. You make mistakes and sometimes those have fatal consequences even if you didn't start out with that consequence in mind. You can ride a bike and fall down on the street. Drive a car.

Heath Ledger's death really sheds light on the inconvenient mortality we try to ignore and that things constantly change whether we choose them to or not. That is why his death has caused so many sad voices, shocks and tears. I think that is what it comes down to, not why he died or if he was depressed or not. Quite frankly, the cause of death doesn't interest me at all. I'm concerned about the people closest to him, his daughter and his family, how they're coping.

I'm going to miss him and I hope that wherever he is, he is in a better place. I'm going to remember his performances and grieve that there are none more to be had (not counting the fantasy film he was doing just before his passing and the Batman movie). It still feels surreal.

I know millions of people have already mentioned it and I've already mentioned it once before, but I wanted to share my thoughts on the matter and perhaps I don't know... have a more thought-provoking view on how and why this affects people rather than just the fact that it happened. I can say that once these news sink in for me, I'm going to cry and be sad for a while. Not because he was famous, but because I'm like that. If I talk about starving children in Africa, I will start to cry (10/10 chance), if I talk about my sister who's feeling alone and left out, I will start to cry. If I talk about how beautiful or tragic something is, I will cry. And I'll cry for him too because I think every human being has the right to enjoy the best of life and he had so much more to experience, so much more to give the world and so much to receive from it.