Author Topic: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...  (Read 380640 times)

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
« Reply #60 on: January 26, 2008, 09:33:46 pm »
There is a member here who has met Annie Proulx and is a 'friend of a friend' and got word that she was extremely upset about his death.

Thanks, Louise. Now that you mention it, I think I ran across a statement like that somewhere. These threads move so quickly. She had such praise for his performance that I wouldn't be surprised if she's upset.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline belbbmfan

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Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
« Reply #61 on: January 27, 2008, 08:07:57 am »
There is a member here who has met Annie Proulx and is a 'friend of a friend' and got word that she was extremely upset about his death.

Thanks for that Louise. I find it comforting to hear these reactions. Not that I would expect any other type of reaction, but you know what I mean.
'We're supposed to guard the sheep, not eat 'em'

Offline Katie77

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Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
« Reply #62 on: January 27, 2008, 08:13:52 am »
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Summary | AAP | AFP | Oddly Enough | Reuters | Photos
 Sunday January 27, 04:07 PM
Tears flow as Ledger's father reads
Heath Ledger adored Australia, loved helping his friends and never became an actor "for fame or fortune", his father Kim said in a message read to a large gathering of Australians and Hollywood stars in Manhattan.

The unexpected letter sent chills through the 1,000 guests inside New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel grand ballroom for the G'Day USA Australia Day Ball.


 
 
Kim Ledger asked Australia's consul-general in New York John Olsen to read the letter.

"Heath is, and always will be, an Australian," wrote Kim, who arrived in the US to escort his son's body back to Perth.

"He adored his home.

"His last two weeks with us over Christmas in Perth were just bliss.

"Heath did not become an actor for the fame or fortune.

"He loved his craft and he loved helping his friends.

"He loved chess and skateboarding too.

"My image of Heath in New York is him with his skateboard, a canvas bag and his beanie.

"That was Heath to me."

The ball was designed as a glamour event to celebrate the end of the two week G'Day USA festival in the US.

The death last Tuesday of one of Australia's great young actors shook the large Australian contingent of celebrities, politicians, trade officials and entertainers in the US as part of G'Day USA.

Organisers altered the program to honour Ledger.

There also were chills and tears when a minute's silence was held in Ledger's honour.

One of 28-year-old actor's iconic photos, a Brokeback Mountain promotional shot of him in a cowboy hat leaning back smiling, was projected on a screen during the tribute.

"The response we have received here in New York about Heath's tragic passing is certainly an indication that Heath is held in high esteem as an exceptionally talented actor," Olsen told AAP.

Ledger would have cracked a smile if he attended the G'Day Ball as the historic Manhattan hotel looked, tasted and smelt like Australia.

Hilary, a merino sheep wearing a G'Day USA designer shirt, shared the Waldorf red carpet with Hollywood glamour girl Jessica Alba, Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr, Australian Transformers star Rachael Taylor and actors Julian McMahon and Jack Thompson.

Inside the Waldorf's grand ballroom, the guests sipped Jacob's Creek wine and feasted on a menu co-created by Australian celebrity chefs Luke Mangan and Neil Perry.

Entertainment included performances by Shannon Noll, Christine Anu, the Qantas Choir and, undoubtedly a first for the Waldorf and continuing the sheep theme, a shearing demonstration.

Ledger also will be honoured by famous friends at Monday's Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium.

Ledger, a two-time SAG nominee in 2005 for Brokeback Mountain and an actor revered by his peers, will be honoured with a tribute.

Secrecy also surrounds a memorial service for Ledger in Los Angeles.

Ledger's parents, Kim and Sally, and sister Kate, were in Los Angeles awaiting the arrival of his body from New York.

Ledger's US publicist Mara Buxbaum ruled out a public memorial service for the late actor, although it is believed a private service will take place in coming days.

"There are no plans for a public service," Buxbaum wrote in an email to The New York Times newspaper.

Ledger's former fiancee, Michelle Williams and two-year-old daughter, Matilda, left their Brooklyn home for one of New York's airports with several bags of luggage.

It is expected they will meet Ledger's family in LA and then continue on to Perth for a funeral.

Ledger's family has reason to hold its memorial services in private as some US religious groups have vowed to picket any service to protest the actor's portrayal of a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain.

They also would be hoping to avoid a similar media scene to the one outside the New York funeral home when a large group of photographers fought to take photos of Ledger's body being loaded into a hearse.

Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on Tuesday.

An autopsy on Wednesday failed to find a cause of death. It will take at least a week for the results of toxicology tests to be known, although police sources have said they believe he died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.


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It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfection

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
« Reply #63 on: January 27, 2008, 12:22:02 pm »
"Heath did not become an actor for the fame or fortune.

"He loved his craft and he loved helping his friends.

"He loved chess and skateboarding too.

"My image of Heath in New York is him with his skateboard, a canvas bag and his beanie.

"That was Heath to me."


Sigh.
"Tu doives entendre je t'aime."
(and you know who I am...)


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and Pee-wee in the 1990 episode
"Camping Out"

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
« Reply #64 on: January 27, 2008, 12:32:49 pm »
There also were chills and tears when a minute's silence was held in Ledger's honour.

One of 28-year-old actor's iconic photos, a Brokeback Mountain promotional shot of him in a cowboy hat leaning back smiling, was projected on a screen during the tribute.

"The response we have received here in New York about Heath's tragic passing is certainly an indication that Heath is held in high esteem as an exceptionally talented actor," Olsen told AAP.

....
"Tu doives entendre je t'aime."
(and you know who I am...)


Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne)
and Pee-wee in the 1990 episode
"Camping Out"

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
« Reply #65 on: January 27, 2008, 12:39:27 pm »
Ledger would have cracked a smile if he attended the G'Day Ball as the historic Manhattan hotel looked, tasted and smelt like Australia.

Hilary, a merino sheep wearing a G'Day USA designer shirt, shared the Waldorf red carpet with Hollywood glamour girl Jessica Alba, Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr, Australian Transformers star Rachael Taylor and actors Julian McMahon and Jack Thompson.

Inside the Waldorf's grand ballroom, the guests sipped Jacob's Creek wine and feasted on a menu co-created by Australian celebrity chefs Luke Mangan and Neil Perry.

Entertainment included performances by Shannon Noll, Christine Anu, the Qantas Choir and, undoubtedly a first for the Waldorf and continuing the sheep theme, a shearing demonstration.

Ok, a good laugh through tears!
"Tu doives entendre je t'aime."
(and you know who I am...)


Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne)
and Pee-wee in the 1990 episode
"Camping Out"

Offline ifyoucantfixit

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Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
« Reply #66 on: January 27, 2008, 01:13:08 pm »
 »    

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    They say

                     The world has gone upside down.
                      We are waiting at your door
                      To see if the things we've heard,
                      Are truth or facts unwound.
                     
                      They say the sun won't rise tomorrow
                      it has perished on its route they say.
                      Lay down to rest with tired eyes.
                      So quiet and in need of rest

                      The sun forgot to rise today
                      While on its daily tour.
                      They say it has lost its way
                      It wil not rise again, today.

                      We still are waiting for the sun
                      To bask in its light
                      It needs to come around so we
                      can lay and rest as is our daily right.

                      They say the sun won't come out today
                      It is staying way down under.
                      It is headed for the place it started.
                      In order to warm and heat that distant way.

                      The sun won't be seen again, they say
                      It has lost its light
                      The sun is gone, for all and all
                      We will no longer see it play

                      The sun will never rise again they say
                      it will stay down under
                      it will stay at rest for all our days
                      While we who love it deeply pray.
                                              janice
                      



     Beautiful mind

yb

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Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
« Reply #67 on: January 27, 2008, 07:12:14 pm »
An article written by Chris Nolan for Newsweek:

Charisma As Natural As Gravity
By Christopher Nolan


Heath Ledger, 28, Actor

Best known for his haunting, Oscar-nominated performance as Ennis Del Mar, one of the gay cowboys in 2005 ' s "Brokeback Mountain," Ledger was a massive young talent on the cusp of greatness when he died last week in New York. The native Australian, who is survived by his 2-year-old daughter, Matilda, had recently finished work on this summer's "Batman" sequel, "The Dark Knight," in which he plays a villain, the Joker. Christopher Nolan, the film's director, shared these memories:

One night, as I'm standing on LaSalle Street in Chicago, trying to line up a shot for "The Dark Knight," a production assistant skateboards into my line of sight. Silently, I curse the moment that Heath first skated onto our set in full character makeup. I'd fretted about the reaction of Batman fans to a skateboarding Joker, but the actual result was a proliferation of skateboards among the younger crew members. If you'd asked those kids why they had chosen to bring their boards to work, they would have answered honestly that they didn't know. That's real charisma—as invisible and natural as gravity. That's what Heath had.

Heath was bursting with creativity. It was in his every gesture. He once told me that he liked to wait between jobs until he was creatively hungry. Until he needed it again. He brought that attitude to our set every day. There aren't many actors who can make you feel ashamed of how often you complain about doing the best job in the world. Heath was one of them.

One time he and another actor were shooting a complex scene. We had two days to shoot it, and at the end of the first day, they'd really found something and Heath was worried that he might not have it if we stopped. He wanted to carry on and finish. It's tough to ask the crew to work late when we all know there's plenty of time to finish the next day. But everyone seemed to understand that Heath had something special and that we had to capture it before it disappeared. Months later, I learned that as Heath left the set that night, he quietly thanked each crew member for working late. Quietly. Not trying to make a point, just grateful for the chance to create that they'd given him.

Those nights on the streets of Chicago were filled with stunts. These can be boring times for an actor, but Heath was fascinated, eagerly accepting our invitation to ride in the camera car as we chased vehicles through movie traffic—not just for the thrill ride, but to be a part of it. Of everything. He'd brought his laptop along in the car, and we had a high-speed screening of two of his works-in-progress: short films he'd made that were exciting and haunting. Their exuberance made me feel jaded and leaden. I've never felt as old as I did watching Heath explore his talents. That night I made him an offer—knowing he wouldn't take me up on it—that he should feel free to come by the set when he had a night off so he could see what we were up to.

When you get into the edit suite after shooting a movie, you feel a responsibility to an actor who has trusted you, and Heath gave us everything. As we started my cut, I would wonder about each take we chose, each trim we made. I would visualize the screening where we'd have to show him the finished film—sitting three or four rows behind him, watching the movements of his head for clues to what he was thinking about what we'd done with all that he'd given us. Now that screening will never be real. I see him every day in my edit suite. I study his face, his voice. And I miss him terribly.

Back on LaSalle Street, I turn to my assistant director and I tell him to clear the skateboarding kid out of my line of sight when I realize—it's Heath, woolly hat pulled low over his eyes, here on his night off to take me up on my offer. I can't help but smile.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/105580

Offline MaineWriter

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Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
« Reply #68 on: January 27, 2008, 07:24:05 pm »
Ah, nice rememberance. Thanks for posting, yb.

L
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Offline Shasta542

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Re: Heath Ledger Tributes and Obituaries...
« Reply #69 on: January 27, 2008, 07:27:44 pm »
Months later, I learned that as Heath left the set that night, he quietly thanked each crew member for working late. Quietly. Not trying to make a point, just grateful for the chance to create that they'd given him.

Very nice article, YB. Heath -- such a sweetheart.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~