Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jan 23, 2008 1:31:52 GMT -5
We've had several deaths in the last week or so, but none more surprising than this one, I think:
Actor Heath Ledger Found Dead
Actor Heath Ledger was found dead at a Manhattan apartment Tuesday afternoon in what appeared to be a possible drug-related death; he was 28. The actor was discovered in one of the SoHo apartment's bedrooms at 3:31 p.m., when a masseuse arrived for a scheduled appointment and the residence's housekeeper went to inform the actor of the masseuse's arrival. He was found unconscious and unresponsive; the New York Times at first stated that the apartment in question belonged to actress Mary-Kate Olsen, but a publicist for the actress later said that Olsen did not own a unit in the building in which Ledger was found. An initial police report also cited by the New York Times said that foul play was not suspected and that pills had been found near Ledger's body. A native of Australia, Ledger shot to fame as a teen heartthrob in 10 Things I Hate About You before graduating to more adult roles, most notably his Oscar-nominated turn in Brokeback Mountain. Engaged at one time to Brokeback co-star Michelle Williams, the two had a daughter but had split in recent months. Earlier this year, Ledger wrapped filming on the Batman film The Dark Knight, in which he played The Joker; the film is currently set for release this summer. Further details of the actor's death were not available at press time.
Also passed away recently:
Suzanne Pleshette, who played Bob Newhart's wife on The Bob Newhart Show from 1972 to 1978, died Saturday in Los Angeles just days short of her 70th birthday on Jan. 31, when she was to have been honored with a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame. Her death was attributed to respiratory failure. She had been treated for lung cancer since 2006.
Brad Renfro, died at age 25 on January 15. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee on July 25, 1982, he was discovered at 10 by director Joel Schumacher and was immediately cast in his first major motion picture, The Client (1994). Although he had a lack of acting experience, his role caught the media's attention. Next, he wowed critics with his touching role in The Cure (1995) and then showed off his comedic talents in Tom and Huck (1995). Brad won "The Hollywood Reporter's Young Star Award" in 1995 and was nominated as one of People Magazine's "Top 30 Under 30." He also appeared in Sleepers, Apt Pupil, Bully and Ghost World.
Bobby Fischer, the reclusive American chess master who became a Cold War icon when he dethroned the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky as world champion in 1972, has died. He was 64.
The actress known as Vampira, who hosted horror movies on TV in the 1950s and '60s, as seen in the Tim Burton film Ed Wood, has died at the age of 85. Maila Nurmi found little work after her TV stint, the Associated Press indicated, noting that she sold handmade jewelry to support herself in her later years.
RIP to all of them.
Actor Heath Ledger Found Dead
Actor Heath Ledger was found dead at a Manhattan apartment Tuesday afternoon in what appeared to be a possible drug-related death; he was 28. The actor was discovered in one of the SoHo apartment's bedrooms at 3:31 p.m., when a masseuse arrived for a scheduled appointment and the residence's housekeeper went to inform the actor of the masseuse's arrival. He was found unconscious and unresponsive; the New York Times at first stated that the apartment in question belonged to actress Mary-Kate Olsen, but a publicist for the actress later said that Olsen did not own a unit in the building in which Ledger was found. An initial police report also cited by the New York Times said that foul play was not suspected and that pills had been found near Ledger's body. A native of Australia, Ledger shot to fame as a teen heartthrob in 10 Things I Hate About You before graduating to more adult roles, most notably his Oscar-nominated turn in Brokeback Mountain. Engaged at one time to Brokeback co-star Michelle Williams, the two had a daughter but had split in recent months. Earlier this year, Ledger wrapped filming on the Batman film The Dark Knight, in which he played The Joker; the film is currently set for release this summer. Further details of the actor's death were not available at press time.
Also passed away recently:
Suzanne Pleshette, who played Bob Newhart's wife on The Bob Newhart Show from 1972 to 1978, died Saturday in Los Angeles just days short of her 70th birthday on Jan. 31, when she was to have been honored with a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame. Her death was attributed to respiratory failure. She had been treated for lung cancer since 2006.
Brad Renfro, died at age 25 on January 15. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee on July 25, 1982, he was discovered at 10 by director Joel Schumacher and was immediately cast in his first major motion picture, The Client (1994). Although he had a lack of acting experience, his role caught the media's attention. Next, he wowed critics with his touching role in The Cure (1995) and then showed off his comedic talents in Tom and Huck (1995). Brad won "The Hollywood Reporter's Young Star Award" in 1995 and was nominated as one of People Magazine's "Top 30 Under 30." He also appeared in Sleepers, Apt Pupil, Bully and Ghost World.
Bobby Fischer, the reclusive American chess master who became a Cold War icon when he dethroned the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky as world champion in 1972, has died. He was 64.
The actress known as Vampira, who hosted horror movies on TV in the 1950s and '60s, as seen in the Tim Burton film Ed Wood, has died at the age of 85. Maila Nurmi found little work after her TV stint, the Associated Press indicated, noting that she sold handmade jewelry to support herself in her later years.
RIP to all of them.
