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Most Australians remember exactly where they were when they learned of Heath’s Ledger’s death in 2008. The cause was determined as an acute intoxication of prescription medication and at just 28-years-old one of our most exciting exports was dead in his New York City apartment.
“The last conversation Kate had with him was this discussion about his medications and she warned him, ‘‘You can’t mix drugs that you don’t know anything about’,” Ledger’s father Kim told news.com.au.
“He said ‘Katie, Katie, I’ll be fine’. Well, that’s a cavalier boy’s answer. It just put his whole system to sleep I guess,” Mr Ledger said.
It’s been ten years and to commemorate, stars have remembered the late actor. Busy Phillips, best friend to Ledger’s former girlfriend Michelle Williams told a story of a song that reminded her of Ledger. “I was just driving and I was thinking about my friend Heath who died 10 years ago and this song came on, ‘Time to Pretend,’” Philipps said. “It came out after he passed away and I remember when it came out, because it made me think of him. I just thought he would have liked this song. And for some reason, every time I hear this song … it’s weird.”
Jake Gyllenhaal who bonded with Ledger when both missed out on a role in Moulin Rouge to Ewan McGregor – and later starred together in Brokeback Mountain – told E! reporters the loss was hard to explain. “Friendship can’t be explained in a sound bite or can it in three-minute interview and those who can do it I find sort of odd. I happen to not be one of those people,” Gyllenhaal said on Monday. “I think Heath meant a lot to a lot of people, the people who were fans and the people who saw his work and were moved by his work and the people who knew him as a person … He was just an incredible force and is still missed.”
Naomi Watts who dated Ledger for a year in 2002 took to Instagram. ““Thinking about this beautiful soul today. 10 years ago he left this world,” Watts wrote on Monday. “He was a true original. Heart always on his sleeve, with the most powerful charisma, strength, humor and talent. I will never forget his gentle spirit.”
