Lyssa Beyer

When I received a text message on Tuesday, Jan. 22, I received a surprise as my screen read “Heath Ledger is dead!” Shock, and maybe a little disbelief, prompted me to call the sender of this message in order to verify it. Sure enough, it was true. For the next few minutes, all I heard about was his supposed drug overdose, the forty and climbing Facebook groups devoted to Ledger, and so on.

In Hollywood, or even in the world today, a death like his is seen as tragic, and in a way, commonplace. Drug overdoses and celebrity deaths have graced the cover of tabloids before; for example, John Belushi, Anna Nicole Smith, and many more. It’s not unheard of. However, Ledger’s autopsy reports are currently inconclusive. No one knows the cause of death, but speculation is quite popular about everything surrounding the death.

It’s been only a few days after the death of Ledger, and already gossip is running wild. For example, how did Mary-Kate Olson get involved, or, just how many prescription drugs were found? Then, there’s the matter of the rolled up twenty found at the scene of his death, which, by the way, tested negative for illicit drugs. The reason for his death is unknown, but the gossip surrounding it currently holds the world enthralled.

Despite the fact that celebrity gossip is all the rage, and that I have participated in it (see paragraph above), this is different. This is death, and while death and potential scandal sells, the bottom line is simple – there are some things that deserve respect, and this is one of them.

While his career choices as an actor elevated him to celebrity status, Ledger was a person, first and foremost. He had a family and a life outside of the characters he portrayed despite the fact that the world came to know him through a profession he considered “fun.” However, beneath the actor lay the person. And the person that was Heath Ledger deserves privacy, and his family deserves respect. Look at what this is doing to those that survive him, such as his family.

It seems in the last few days, they have attempted to protect Ledger, as many grieving people would do for a lost loved one. This must be a difficult time to begin with, but they are not allowed to solely grieve for him. Rather, they have to do everything in their power to defend someone who can no longer defend himself.

Since something like a family’s right to grieve seems unimportant, and if the world is determined to gossip about Ledger’s death, a different angle should be followed. Instead of discussing his death and everything surrounding it, his life seems to be the only respectable topic to discuss.

Beyond the movie screen, Ledger’s name was connected to charity work like Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS or to Variety-The Children’s Charity. Once, in an e-Bay auction, he and a friend raised $101,000 for shirts they wore in a movie for the Variety-The Children’s Charity.

And what about life before the fame? In his youth, Ledger played chess and hockey. In his adult life, he enjoyed painting, and had planned to start a record label with Ben Harper. Also, Ledger had a daughter and fatherhood clearly played a major role in his life.

This was the real Ledger. He was not Patrick Verona, Sir William Thatcher, Ennis Del Mar, or even The Joker. He was a person who cared about charity, who took pleasure from numerous hobbies, and who was a father. This is the man who portrayed these characters and they all died with him because those characters depended on a person. And now, respect is due to Ledger, who was an actor, but who also lived a real life beyond the characters he played.

However, all is not lost. In spite of the speculation and all that has happened, maybe respect is not destroyed completely. Fans offer homage to Ledger in the form of flowers and memorials, among other gifts. Perhaps his devoted fans understand what is being asked here. Now, it’s up to the rest of the world to follow suit. And perhaps soon, after rumors settle down and the truth comes out, Heath Ledger and his family will be allowed respect and time to grieve.

Schossow is a freshman print journalism major and copy editor for The Spectator.