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Heath, we hardly knew ye!
HEATHCLIFF ANDREW LEDGER |
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by Rodney Giles
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| HEATH LEDGER |
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Heath, we hardly knew ye! Heath Andrew Ledger came into this world on April 4, 1979, and departed on Tuesday, January 22, 2008. A native of Perth, West Australia, he opted as a youngster for dramatics rather than any other activity, bursting onto the entertainment world as a new and exciting heartthrob. It didn't take long for Heath, in his choice of roles, to provide solid evidence of his devotion to the art of acting. His performance as Ennis Del Mar in Ang Lee's 2005 film of Annie Proulx's "Brokeback Mountain" literally transformed the lives of countless numbers of people around the world. Courageously agreeing to a role that many warned him might ruin his career, he portrayed the Ennis character with loving devotion, offering critical suggestions for dialogue change, and being the inspiration for the reversal of the iconic shirts in the final scene. Annie Proulx herself paid him the ultimate compliment saying that he knew Ennis, that "achingly needy" young cowboy, better than she. A life full of potential, tragically cut short, we shall never know to what heights of accomplishment our friend Heath would have attained. We mourn his untimely death, but thankful that his bright light came into our lives in such a powerful, transformative way. May he rock forever in the sparklight of our memories with Jack Twist in his arms.
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"Brokeback" fans all over the world received the tragic news of Heath's passing with disbelief, shock and utter dismay. Internet messages have been posted about Heath from all corners. I first received word on Tuesday afternoon when a friend telephoned me and asked me if I had the news on, to which had said, "No." After turning on one of the news channels, I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I'm sure my experience was multiplied a millionfold as word spread.
Among members of the "Brokeback" forums, we had also received news of the impending passing of a very dear friend who was an original member of the largest Internet forum. She eventually passed away in her sleep very early Wednesday morning. This passing sparked the notion among my friends in Denver that we should do a joint memorial for both Heath and Jackie. Yours truly, who has taken on the title of "Voice of Brokeback" from my dramatic reading of the short story, is now going to add "Chaplain of Brokeback" when dear friends gather in Denver on February 9 to celebrate the lives of two souls, one of which was famous the world over, and the other whose love had reached literally around the world.
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