This is pretty shocking. I’m not much of a celebrity-phile, but I always thought Ledger turned in good performances, even in his “fluffier” roles. A real shame. RIP.
A Thinking Reed
"Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed" – Blaise Pascal
A Thinking Reed 
For a minute I say “fluffer” roles, and I was “hey, wait a minute.” I thought he was a pretty darn good actor who had years ahead of him. Of course, I’ll never forget his role in Brokeback Mountain, still brings tears.
I am very excited to see him as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
Ahem, no – I was thinking “fluffy” roles as in “10 Things I Hate About You,” “A Knight’s Tale,” and “Cassanova” – movies I enjoyed almost in spite of myself. 😉
He was, of course, also really good in BBM and I was looking forward to the Dark Knight too – especially after seeing the trailer.
I hated to see this news, too. I really enjoyed him in The Patriot. And whatever people want to make of BBM, his performance was a great one.
I have to wonder whether the drug Ambien doesn’t itself cause accidental overdoses. I’ve read of people sleep-driving or being caught eating buttered cigarettes or salt sandwiches while they were asleep. Someone who can do that can surely take pills, too.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/15/earlyshow/health/health_news/main1404632.shtml