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Heath Heath Heath
Ellemeno:
Heath and Matilda Leave Footprints in Brooklyn
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 23, 2008 02:40 PM EST
By Beth Perry
PHOTO BY: BRAD BARKET / GETTY
As friends, family and colleagues talk about the imprint Heath Ledger left on their lives, his neighbors said the 28-year-old actor left something even more permanent in Brooklyn – with a little help from his daughter Matilda.
Roger Lang, who lived across the street from Ledger and Michelle Williams during the then-couple's time in Brooklyn, tells PEOPLE it was Ledger who put the markings in wet cement near the fire hydrant in front of their house. "The Matilda thing in the sidewalk with the footprints, he did that about two years ago," Lang says. "It was a secret. It was a fun thing. He did it as a surprise for his family."
The 2-year-old's name is perpendicular to the word HUGO, which is the name of a neighbor's dog. On Wednesday some carnations wrapped in plastic were placed near the spot.
Adds Lang: "He was full of life. He'd call my father Matey. 'Hi Matey.' Because he was in World War II. They're great people and it's very tragic. They loved Brooklyn. They wanted to be a part of the neighborhood."
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20173265,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines&cid=recirc-ewRecirc
MaineWriter:
Oh, that picture is wonderful. Thanks, Elle!
Mikaela:
Leslie, Katherine, thank you for posting these thoughtful and knowledgable obituaries. It does a body good after all the nasty media hoopla of yesterday.
~~
This tragedy has reminded me of the sad and untimely death of a famous performer/singer in Norway last autumn. I could give name and details, but nobody would know him here, I suspect. He was unexpectedly found dead in his bed, at age 30. He had lived a hectic life travelling and performing, and it was known he had been having some health troubles causing him to cancel certain performances and behaving a bit volatilely in public, though nothing very alarming or attention-grabbing. Upon his death the media jumped to overdose / drugs type conclusions. So did the police, speaking at first of "a personal tragedy" which is the standard euphemism here for suicide. However, the autopsy revealed that no such thing was the case. What had happened: His heart had given out as a result of a bronchitis infection and stress - and one would assume, as a result of having taxed his energy and put too much pressure on himself over time, draining his physical resources.
All of that seems eerily similar to what has been known about Heath's health - and his restless, nervous energy certainly is well known.
I wonder if the above may not also be the conclusion concerning the reason for Heath's death. If there were other reasons though, as so morbidly and strongly indicated in the voracious media hoopla,- I won't respect him one iota less, nor love his films and Ennis less. Not at all. That has nothing to do with this. I only wish the media could be more restrained and respectful and not so obviously ghoulishly delighted in horrid speculation and unneccessary details. :(
ETA: What a lovely image and story of the prints in the concrete! :)
MaineWriter:
also from People:
Ang Lee Calls Heath's Death 'Heartbreaking'
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 23, 2008 03:40 PM EST
Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee reflects fondly on working with Heath Ledger, calling the actor's untimely death "heartbreaking."
"Working with Heath was one of the purest joys of my life," the director says in a statement. "He brought to the role of Ennis [Del Mar] more than any of us could have imagined – a thirst for life, for love, and for truth, and a vulnerability that made everyone who knew him love him. His death is heartbreaking."
Ledger was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for his role as Ennis Del Mar, a taciturn gay cowboy in the 2005 drama.
After completing the film in 2005, Lee spoke to PEOPLE about working on set with his leading man. "He understood the cowboy way, just in the way he posed, and his body language and how it developed over the course of the film," Lee said at the time.
The director also believed that Ledger understood and empathized with his character's darker elements. "He understood the shyness and vulnerability and isolation of the character," said Lee. "He really got that. And he did it while carrying the Western aura."
While praising Ledger's "great worth ethic," the director also opened up about the star's relationship with costar Michelle Williams, joking, "On the set I pushed him towards Jake [Gyllenhaal]. Maybe I pushed him too hard and he escaped out on the other side with Michelle."
"I think he will be a great father," Lee continued at the time, discussing the birth of Ledger's daughter Matilda, now 2-years-old. "It has overwhelmed him, much more than the movie has. He is enjoying every bit of it."
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20173296,00.html
mvansand76:
--- Quote from: Sheriff Roland on January 23, 2008, 11:35:35 am ---Dunno if this image of Heath appears anywhere else on this thread, but I thought I'd share ...
--- End quote ---
That's beautiful.
:'( :'( :'(
You know what... Usually, I am always so excited when a scene from Brokeback Mountain is shown on TV. Today I wanted to kick the TV and scream when I saw the Brokeback Mountain clips, especially the one in which Ennis says "I guess I'll see you around..."
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