You make a good point Dr. Keith, but Christian Bale said that there were no dark forces at work. When the camera stopped running, Ledger was upbeat & friendly, joking with costars & talking about Matilda. You may be right that demons destroyed him, & yet you may be wrong. It may have just been an accident. We will never know.

Ledger was fighting the flu, so it stands to reason that he was taking meds for it. Obviously, not from the same physician, cause he/she would never have mixed that combination of drugs.

The acting world mourns the loss of a great talent. Heath Ledger could have gone on to things we will never know about; but one thing is for sure–he will live on in Matilda. Who knows? Maybe twenty some years from now she will accept her Oscar & thank her father smiling down on her in Heaven. That is the best honor a parent could receive.

Well said - it’s about time someone started telling the truth: that this guy, while he might have been a good actor, was no role model for fatherhood.

I couldn’t agree more….maybe someone will read this and realize that people (even celebrities) don’t live in a bubble where their actions have no consequences. Whatever the consequences Heath Ledger is dealing with now, his family, his daughter, have only begun to deal with.

I think this comment is really unfair and unnecessary. Heath Ledger is gone, the family is left to deal with his passing, including his daughter Matilda. Noone knows the circumstances of his death or what happened, so to second guess what or why it happened is unfair to his family especially his daughter, who is so young that she will grow up with other peoples memories of her father. They need to be good memories. She will need support from those around her and need to know that her father loved her no matter how he passed and that his passing had nothing to do with how he felt about . If it is true that Mr. Ledger was having trouble sleeping, if that was going on for awhile, the desperation to get sleep after not being able to sleep could explain the combination, however wrong or sad it is. We should not judge what was done, just support the family left behind by this tradegy.

Thank you for this post. You spoke of what many are overlooking.

I think this article is very unfair not only to Mr. Ledger, but to his family especially his daughter. She is left behind to deal with this and is too young now to even know what is going on, only knowing that he daddy is not here. She will have to remember her father through other peoples memories. Those memories should be good memories, how much she was loved, things they liked to do together, not articles judging second guessing how her father died. Noone knows why Mr. Ledger passed, the reason behind it. If it was true that he was having trouble sleeping, if it had gone on for awhile, the desperation to get some sleep could be devastating. It doesnt mean he wanted to die or was trying to die, and should not be second guessed as such. Sadly he is gone and the family has to deal with that in their own time and should be left to do that. Without the press saying such things, rating his “real life job as father and husband” that is unfair, were not there and do not know that. Let this family deal with their grief without having to deal with this kind of stuff.

You want to bring out the fact that in your opinion he was a dead beat? Nobody knows what he had in his heart in regards to his daughter. His Ex has not made one comment regarding his abandoning ways. Granted he died due to an overdose but it doesn’t take away from the fact that he completely made the Joker his own. No one in this generation will ever be able to top his impersonation of the Joker No ONE. To come out now and try to insult him after his demize: you should be ashamed. We all have problems, some more than others. Leave the man alone; He can’t defend himself from your critique

Heath Ledger died a tragic death, no doubt. But to start throwing better-than-you venom like this is just mean-spirited. Lots of people don’t make it to a natural death. It’s sad but true. When someone dies like that, you should act with sympathy to the family and not by wagging your finger.

One question. Who are you to tell his family and friends how he was probably feeling? Heath loved his daughter unconditionally. We will probably never know what truly happened to him. I think it is very unprofessional for you to give out advice like that. No one knows what really went through his mind when he medicated himself. I think he was in a lot of pain and could not sleep. That is only my opinion and I know that it does not account for anything, but, your opinion should not count either because that is all it is, an opinion. My point is don’t make any assumptions until you get all the facts.

Thank you for your time

Shon P. Connors

Well written piece. Some responses wish to shoot the messenger for reporting obvious facts that haven’t been mentioned. I have difficulty sleeping at times and of course have had the flu as well. I have never been able to justify taking oxycontin for these issues though. The defenders of this drug addict are amusing to me. No he can’t defend himself, but he got to where most drug addicts get to - death.

The movie would have never been as big of a hit with out Heath Ledger’s passing beforehand. It is sad how society feeds on the grief and morbid ways of life.

However I do feel sorry for Matilda growing up without her father and I agree his actions were not with her best interest in mind. But I beleive even more that GOD has a plan for each and every one of us and it is not our duty to question his PLAN where Mr. Ledger and his family are concerned.

Hopefully too - Matilda can grow up to adobt this way of thinking as well and not question GOD’s plan of taking her father away at such a young and tender age.

But I enjoyed reading your article and your thoughts - that is benefit of living in America and having free speech and sharing your thoughts !

Well written.
God Bless !

I too, have been where Heath was when he died. You don’t think of anyone but yourself (or in my case the betterment of the other person in the situation.) No one will know what he was thinking but maybe he thought it was better for everyone. I did. In my sick mind I thought that my husband, 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren would be better off without me. I now know that it is not true. I have lost my husband of 33 years thru divorce, my girls respect and my family’s trust. But I am better now and I have a better life than I did before. I am earning back my daughters respect and my family’s trust. The husband I don’t want!! LOL Maybe if he could have just held on alittle longer he would have known the peace I now know.

Where do you get off making such insinuations? Did you know the man personally? Did you have an intimate knowledge of his family life? I highly doubt it, so please show respect to the bereaved by keeping your uninformed opinions to yourself.

As a father to 2 girls who’s bioilogical dad passed away under similar circumstances I appreciate the cander of Dr. Keith. What it all comes down to is this: In the role(s) that really mattered (father and husband) Heath was weighed, measured, and found wanting… Let’s not canonize him.

It is about time! It is obvious that he was a drug addict! And he thought he was invincible. Any one who has ever done any drugs in thier life never expects to die from them. THe reality is that he didnt love his family enough to quit or seek help for what he knew was a bad thing. You know when you are taking that many otc drugs what they are doing to you. Instead of getting help he kept partying. So please stop talking about what a great person he was and glamorizing him in the media!

I can’t shake the sick feeling that has settled in my stomach after reading this article. I am deeply disappointed. Perhaps I am not seeing Dr. Keith’s point, but it would seem that you are overlooking the fact that Heath was very active in his daughter’s life. “In his role as a father, Heath Ledger walked off stage a long time ago, leaving a little girl to cry tears of grief that not even a Joker’s palette of makeup could turn into a smile.” He was not a father who chose to leave his daughter as you claim. It was not a suicide attempt. It was an accident Should Heath Ledger’s legacy be all about the mistake he made that ended his life? Should that be the memory his daugther is left with? Should the father his daughter knows be the one you claim him to be? The one who chooses to abadon his child? He was not a deadbeat father. You claim that he did not “insulate” his daughter from the tragedy of his death and I pose to you this question: How was he supposed to do that? It wasn’t as though Heath expected to die that January day. Is a father who dies in a car accident to blame for abadoning his child? Could you insulate your child from your own death?

He was not an actor trapped in a role, confused about the difference between reality and fiction. “In real life, you have to own your own suffering and come to terms with it in order to win the awards really worth winning — real self-possession and self-esteem and the certain knowledge that you have brought the best of yourself to those you love.” Heath was a man before he was an actor. Ask his family. Ask anyone who knew him or ever met the man and I guarantee that they will say this: He brought his best to every person around him. He loved his family, his friends, his fans and his daughter unconditionally. He won the awards you speak of. I don’t understand how you can blame him for leaving his daugther’s life. How can you justify making this battle harder for her? This article is insulting and hurtful to not only Heath’s memory, but to his daugther. I hope and pray that she never finds this article. I hope and pray that his family never finds this article. They do not need your hurtful words because as you claimed, they have enough pain to deal with.

Dr. Ablow interesting article. I have one thing that I must point out to you though. In your article you make it seem that hydrocodone is an ingredient of Percocet. That is incorrect. Hydrocodone would be the active ingredient in Vicodin, Lortab, or Lorcet. The -codone ingredient of Percocet is oxycodone, along with acetaminophen (tylenol). Oxycodone is the ingredient in Oxycontin. Just wanted to clarify that information.

Thanks.

How dare you? The man has been dead for a few months now and still there are people like “Dr.” Keith who just can’t let something go. Don’t you people think Heath’s family has suffered enough? Maybe the so-called “Doctor” is just trying to stew up some controversy along with the rest of his Fox News cohorts. Here is a fresh idea for you: How about you start reporting on REAL news. Current, breaking, etc. Is your “news” station so pathetic that is has to delve into the past of a dead man just to see some ratings or whatever? Get over yourselves quick.

You should first of all get your facts straight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dean) about James Dean. It is well know among car enthusiasts that is was recently (last year) discovered this brakes failed. Also I am sure your ‘feeding’ into the bashing of someones parenting after they are dead will help no one. One would think with your profession you would know that already. Do you think this kind of article is helpful to anyone? What is the value of it? Will anyone benefit from it? People sometimes make mistakes; even parents. No one is infallible; I am sure if we chose to pick apart someone else’s life it would be similarly marked with errors.

I agree with SamtheSham. What about Darfur? What about our troops? What about the gas going through the room? It is sad, but really compared to what is happening around the rest of the world, who really cares?

I kind of was reading his article thinking how dare Dr. Keith say this.

But all along I was thinking why was he on the oxycontin and the Hydrocodone?

Those alone can cause stroke or heart attack if taken too many of especially mixed.

He died from a drug OD. If he didn’t have those 2 drugs with the others he’d still be alive.

This is exactly what I believe and have been saying. If the evilness and destructiveness of drug abuse had a face it would look like Mr. Ledger’s Joker. How ironic. His last role is a sickening personification of the demons that were inside him and destroyed him.

Heath’s Joker is a personfication of drug abuse and what it does to you and those around you. It’s not pretty, it’s not romantic, and it’s not a quick sound bite on tv of another rich and famous celeb going into rehab for “foot problems” or “medication review.”

Daronda, good for you! What’s your secret?

Pretty hard to believe you mix that assortment of drugs “accidentally”, or even have them legally in the first place.

One thing we all need to do is watch out for our friends and loved ones, they could be going the same path as Heath. And if YOU are going that path, confide in someone. There is no reason to keep it to yourself, it won’t get better!

I saw the movie the other night. In my opinion, he was acting out his own coming death. If I were his child’s guardian, I’d never let that child see this film.

What was churning inside this man came outside as a satanic, suicidal, psychopathic character wanting more to inflict pain on everyone including himself rather than to be a human being.

I saw the movie the other night. In my opinion, he was acting out his own coming death. If I were his child’s guardian, I’d never let that child see this film.

What was churning inside this man came outside as a satanic, suicidal, psychopathic character wanting more to inflict pain on everyone including himself than to be a human being.

Caesar

WELL PUT!

You absolutely hit the mark! When all is said and done nothing else will ever matter if you are a parent and you leave your children laying in a million little pieces. It reminds me of what my friends father told her once when she was 18 yrs. old (27 years ago), after she wrecked her car he got her for graduation. She was afraid to call him to the accident, and told him so when he got there. His response was “I’m your father, I didn’t come here to scatter the pieces, I came to put them back together again.” I’m afraid Mr. Ledger never “got it”.

Even the subway is in a hole.

If I have trouble sleeping for even a week, I begin to feel extremely depressed and uncontrollably emotional. Ledger had suffered from insomnia for years. I cannot fathom the toll that took on his body, and Dr Keith should know well how vital sleep is to the mind and body. Ledger was a wonderful father who suffered from legitimate medical problems. The physical and mental demands of filming most likely only exacerbated the exhaustion from insomnia and the emotional weight of being away from Matilda and from no longer being in a relationship with Michelle Williams. He was a human being, and I think he did the absolute best he could with what he had, despite being incredibly drained and discouraged. His death was an accident, and if Dr Keith can in good conscience blame Ledger for an accidental overdose then fine. But I cannot and I will not.

Well written….Hollywood sucks the life out of you and then throws you to the side.
The trail is littered with many others who have died prematurely or have had their lives ruined.

There wasn’t anything heroic about Ledger…except in the minds of those whose agenda he promoted in doing Brokeback Mountain. The Dark Knight was no better or worse than any other villaino-centric movie. What drew attention to it was Ledger’s previous work and Ledger’s death. That Hollywood would talk about giving him an Oscar for it…long before the movie ever came out…is just nauseating. There’s worse villains lurking about, believe me. Real ones.

I think your views are completley barbaric thrashing someone that isnt around about how they failed as a father from what I have seen and heard he was a great father and plus him and his wife were seperated or divorced werent they. Divorces are hard for everyone especially for a child. As for you saying not having a dad to walk her down and give her away at the wedding im sure he will be there in spirit if that exists. Heath Ledger was a good actor and because some people have strange ways of dealing with problems we have people like you that listen to conspiracy theories and false statements. I also think that you should show some respect for the dead and if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it at all.

I agree with Dr. Keith’s sentiments. While Ledger was certainly an outstanding actor, his parental skills were quite lacking.

I find it quite mysterious that the grainy cellphone video captioning Heath snorting cocaine, proudly mentioning his daughter’s name, and then saying that he will be “catching some sh** from my girlfriend” is no longer mentioned nor heard from at all. Someone with a lot of power removed this video after it was briefly shown soon after Heath’s unfortunate death in January.

I totally agree. I lost my dad when I was 9 years old (I’m 52 now), not due to overdose but to a heart attack. My life was totally changed forever. I will never what effect that had on me, good or bad, but I do know that there have been and will be times in my life, my children and grandchilden’s lives that he could and would have had been a big part of. Such as just trying to grow up, graduations, marriages, childbirths, sickness, but most of all the love of a Daddy, Grandad and Great Grandad that none of us will ever know. Plus my mom lost the love of her life, Thank God she is a strong woman and managed to raise us up by herself which wasn’t easy in the 1960’s. It isn’t much easier for women now.

Thank you for someone finally pointing that out. While I enjoyed Heath’s performances and movies, I was sickened with the fact that another child would not know her father. I too lost my father as a young girl. My father died suddenly, probably from a heart attack. Heath chose to take those perscriptions. He did not put his family first.

The real people to blame are the doctors who prescribe the medications!!! The new all around pain medication ,(that is highly addictative), which is anything with codone in it, is prescribed for anything concerning pain from toothaches to serious injuries to post surgery. I know this for a fact as I am a nurse and have seen it with my own eyes. What people who take these kinds of medications are failed to be told is that the most common side effect is insomnia!!! I can also tell you that this drug is now one of the drugs of extreme availability on the steets due to the fact that doctors prescribe it so freely.

NOONE KNOWS except GOD what really happened and why!!!! So instead of bashing people, whether if be celebs,the homeless,drug atticts,etc., we should all be praying for them and be willing to be there to help them in what ever way that we can. Unless you have walked a mile in a man’s shoes, who are to have ANY comment about him!!!

Every family in the world has at least one or more members with an addiction problem, whether it be alcohol, drugs,over eating, gambling,shopping,etc. So my final words are this: we should all be more aware of what is going on with our loved ones and stop just caring about ourseves!!!! And let the ones that have a PERFECT family cast the first stone at the ones that don,t. This includes you Dr. Keith and all other professionals who seem to help create the problems and then put the blame on someone else.

Please join in with me to make a commitment to pray for all the people in this world that have ANY kind of addiction no matter how big or small it may be!!!

May God bless you all.

I wonder how many people making rude and vicious comments are taking over the counter drugs along with meds physician prescribed, not knowing what can be mixed with what. I also wonder how many of those people are also doing recreational drugs on top of it. So why you are babbling off your nonsense against Heath Ledger, not even taking into account what you are doing to yourselves. And so many of you are just self righteous bible thumpers who are quick to tell somone that they are going to rot in hell cause they didn’t look both ways before crossing the street. The amn died young, and horribly. Was it an intentional or accidental overdose? No one knows for sure. But keep in mind that a little girl lost her father, and will never know how great or horrible he was, or get to make the decision for herself. Michelle Williams never put it out there that he was horrible so I am assuming that Matilda lost a wonderful and loving father, and its something she is going to have to grow up with. So rather than throwing your self righteous babble around, how about some condolences to those who lost a member of their family.