Heath's Hazy Hemming

The death of internationally acclaimed actor Heath Ledger remains unclear following the autopsy performed by the Medical Examiner in New York. The results are inconclusive, and determining cause of death will take 14 days. Investigators have said prescription medicines were at his bedside but no suicide note was found. A 20 dollar bill was likewise examined for possible drug residue but yielded negative results. The police say that the way the bill was folded prompted them to make the examination. There was also no indication of foul play. His family came out with a statement calling his death untimely, tragic, and accidental. No statements were released by his former girlfriend, actress Michelle Williams, whose 2 year old daughter is Heath Ledger's child.

Earlier, Heath told the New York Times: "Last week, I probably slept an average of 2 hours a night. I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted but my mind was still going."

All angles in the story of his death seem to have been hemmed in well, but details remain hazy. No doubt, the police are not discounting suicide as they are wont to do. In the absence of a suicide note, the family is assuming it was accidental, which is an explanation that would ease the pain of his passing. No words from the ex-girlfriend, and the housekeeper and masseuse have been speaking only through the police authorities.

Heath Ledger gained international acclaim for agreeing to do a daring role in Brokeback Mountain with Jake Gyllenhaal, complete with kissing and lovemaking in the raw. The movie and his performance earned him an Academy Award nomination. He was also part of Mel Gibson's The Patriot, where he obtained notice in an intense portrayal as Mel's son, even if his appearance was brief. He also earned a sort of cult following with A Knights Tale, among the younger generation of moviegoers. His career was just about to break boundaries when this tragedy struck.

What is it with Hollywood that breeds such terminal circumstances? A couple of weeks ago Brad Renfro died of an overdose of illegal drugs. Brad was considered the River Phoenix of this generation, who also died at such an early age from drug overdose. A couple of months back, Owen Wilson attempted to take his life and very nearly succeeded, purportedly because he was distraught at the turn of events in his relationship with Kate Hudson. All three of these actors were into illegal drugs, Heath was not. He was taking prescription drugs. It could be possible that the Doctor who prescribed the drug is also under investigation. Perhaps Heath was not thoroughly examined, and the dosage given to him was too much for his body's capacity to absorb; since he was suffering from insomnia for a little more than a week.

Heath Ledger had the intensity, the natural talent, the looks, and the charisma to achieve big time stardom. This whole situation of his death is so distressing not only for its untimeliness, but for its utter waste.

Haaarrrrwwwwk...Twoooooph...Ting!