An extraordinary personality of excellence, Heath Ledger was one of the most brilliant actors in the entire entertainment industry who left the world a bit too soon.
For years he displayed his splendid acting chops in multiple onscreen projects and was even tremendously commended for it before he abruptly left the world on the devastating morning of the 22nd of January, 2008.
More than one and a half decades have passed since the world lost the talent of Ledger, and yet, he is still remembered as one of the strongest memories preserved in the hearts of almost every single fan of his on this planet; thanks mostly to his spectacular performances for the big screens.
Yet, it was inevitably his way to performing so epically, i.e. his method acting practices, which ultimately aided in him losing his life due to substance abuse.
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Did Working On The Dark Knight Contribute To Heath Ledger’s Death?
A few months before the world got the abrupt news of his passing away, Heath Ledger had finished working on what would be remembered as one of his best works to date, i.e. The Dark Knight, where he portrayed the infamous character of Joker.
And that character, more or less, indirectly took a toll for the worse on his mental as well as his physical health.
As many already know, the Brokeback Mountain star suffered from an exceptionally complicated history with drugs and substance abuse (as per reports acquired by ABC News), besides being a victim of insomnia as well; especially while he worked on his film projects.
This situation went a bit too extreme when he decided even to isolate himself and read the dystopian satirical comedy novel A Clockwork Orange while working on his method acting skills to prepare himself to play the Joker in Christopher Nolan‘s sequel to Batman Begins.
All of this ultimately led to Ledger’s condition of insomnia worsening, as he himself revealed during an interview with the New York Times: “Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night. I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.”
However, while many would conclude this to be the reason behind his death, Kate Ledger, the Joker portrayer’s sister, begs to differ. As she shared in his documentary I Am Heath Ledger:
“Honestly, it was the absolute opposite. He had an amazing sense of humor, and I guess only his close family and friends really knew that. But he was having fun. He wasn’t depressed about The Joker.”
But there’s a twist here too: while playing the Joker may not have directly led to his sudden death, the extremes Heath Ledger had to go to to get his insomnia under control during the same period may have contributed excessively to the same.
Playing The Joker Did, Indirectly, Lead To Heath Ledger’s Death
According to what he shared in his interview with the New York Times, Heath Ledger took two Ambiens to cure his insomnia temporarily while working on playing the Joker, only to wake up an hour later with his mind racing once again.
Then there are all his actions listed in the interview that further add to how unsettled he felt.
So, insomnia, which was greatly increased while he worked on The Dark Knight, was one major cause behind his sudden departure from this world, which led to him taking medicinal drugs to be at ease, even if for a little while.
Moreover, as per the autopsy and toxicology report later issued, Ledger’s death was reported as “the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine,” as per CNN.
Further reports from Today revealed that the late Australian actor, who left this world on the 22nd of January in 2008, became the victim “of acute intoxication” by getting an accidental overdose of “six different drugs — painkillers and sedatives.”
Thus, although Heath Ledger may have been “having fun” in the role that won him his first Oscar after his death, it ultimately took a toll much worse on him by leading him to sedatives that snatched him away from this world at merely 28 years of age.
