Another young actor dead...so sad

It seems like every few years, another young, promising and talented actor dies. I remember when River Phoenix died and how tragic that loss seemed. I'd seen him in a few films and he was very good and had a very bright career ahead of him. Now, it's Heath Ledger who has died at the far too youthful age of 28. I loved this actor and saw him in a number of films, from "The Patriot" to "The Brothers Grimm" to "Casanova" and a few others, like "A Knight's Tale". Right now, it looks like an accidental overdose of sleeping pills may have done him in. From what I am reading, he'd had trouble sleeping after playing the role of The Joker in the upcoming new Batman movie that will be in theaters this summer. Ledger's premature death will certainly heighten interest in this movie, but it would probably just make me too sad to see it, knowing that Ledger is no longer with us to share his vast talents. I was deeply shocked after hearing the news on NPR yesterday, knowing that Ledger had such a promising career ahead of him as a leading man, and now that promise is gone. Even more sad, he leaves a two year old daughter who will probably not remember her father, and as someone who suffered the loss of my father at a far too young age myself, I feel a very deep sympathy for the little girl whose only memories of her dad will be those on the silver screen. Well, time will tell what kind of legacy this young actor left, but certainly his body of work in his all too short career was impressive enough to make his passing a real tragedy. It seems like he was just beginning to come into his own in recent years. I'm deeply saddened that yet another young actor is gone before his time. It will be interesting to find out what the cause of death was, but my bet is on an accidental drug overdose, so often the cause of death among young celebs. Certainly a sobering lesson to be learned for those who seem to display definite signs of substance abuse, like the very talented and lately tragic figure of Lindsay Lohan.

I hope that this serves as a wake-up call for her and others in Hollywood who are messing with drugs, even prescriptions, which can be all too easy to overdose on, even accidentally. People just don't seem to realize that when a prescription says to take only a certain amount per day, they mean it. This isn't a "suggested" dose, this is what dose has been prescribed by a physician and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist, and they mean you to follow it to the letter. Anyone who thinks that they can take more than the prescribed amount without harm is kidding themselves. If Ledger's death ends up being attributed to an overdose of prescription medication, that should serve as a lesson that prescriptions are serious business and must be followed to the letter and also not mixed with other drugs that might interact harmfully with it. Maybe Ledger thought that he was young and healthy enough not to suffer harm from taking more than the prescribed amount of sleep medication, but obviously, that isn't the case. I just hope that his family can find peace in knowing that more than likely, he died peacefully and painlessly in his sleep.