R.I.P. Heath

Rarely am I shocked by a celebrity death. Not that I expect it, but it rarely causes a big reaction in me.

When I heard on the radio about Heath's death on Tuesday afternoon, I was stunned. I just sat there, mouth agape as what I was hearing sunk into my head. I couldn't believe it. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't my favorite actor or anything. But I still remember when I first saw him in '10 Things I Hate About You'. I loved him in that, and he was great in 'The Patriot', 'A Knight's Tale', and of course 'Brokeback Mountain'. I don't think I ever saw any of his other films, though I am sure he gave great performances in those as well.

Seeing the trailers and promos for the upcoming Batman film, the only thing that made me actually want to go to the theater and watch the movie was Heath Ledger as The Joker. I can already tell it is a commanding performance.

It's so tragic that he leaves behind so many people who love him - especially his two year old daughter, Matilda. I have no doubt that Heath's family and friends will make certain that she knows all about her father.

It's times like these that I realize how truly silly and trivial things I complain about in my life are sometimes. They don't even begin to compare to something like this. It's sad that it takes the death of a celebrity, someone I don't even know, to put things back into perspective.

****Credit to daydreamdrifter for making the banner****