I have a couple of very close female friends whom I haven't seen in years. Yet a part of me would die if they were to meet an untimely death. We email each other regularly and talk on the phone occasionally. Lynne, you know one of those friends - Jacki.
Similarly, I would be devastated if any of the Brokies I met in San Francisco were to leave this Earth, and I only ever saw them for a period of three days. I would be quite distraught if any of the rest of you I haven't even met were seriously hurt or worse.
One can share a profoundly deep bond with someone that never goes away, even if the person does.
My goodness - look at how devastated we all are here, and most of us have never even seen Heath in person, let alone spoken with him.
LJ and others, I think you have some unrealistic expectations of Jake, and of Michelle or anyone else you might think should have made a statement by now. I'm sure both of them have spoken to each other by phone and to Heath's family. Making a statement is something they'd do because they feel like they owe it to the public, not to Heath. And they just plain don't. Not to mention that they're both probably a mess right now.
Consider this - if one of the friends you loved most in the world died suddenly and tragically, would you be ready to face a slew of cameras and share with the world how you feel about it? If you would, I guess you're a better person than Jake or Michelle is.