I remember where I was when I found out that Heath Ledger had died. It was January 2008, which means I had just started Year Ten, and I still had a big celeb crush on Heath, one that had started when I first saw 10 Things I Hate About You at the age of 12.
Because we weren’t cool teenagers who drank (yet), my best friends and I had a sleepover on January 21 and we had a Heath Ledger movie marathon – Candy, Two Hands and, I think, a pirated copy of The Brothers Grimm.
The next morning, my older brother came downstairs and he said, “What did you girls watch last night?” and we told him, and he said that Heath Ledger was dead. I thought he was lying to upset me, but turning on the TV I had confirmation that it was true. He was dead. And I was devastated.
He died in New York, at just 28 years old (God, I’m now 28 years old), of acute combined drug intoxication, an accidental prescription drug overdose.
Heath won a posthumous Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight in 2009, after being nominated for Best Actor for Brokeback Mountain in 2006.
Last night, Twitter users started reminiscing about where they were when they found out that Heath Ledger had died, thanks to a tweet from Business Insider reporter, Cameron Wilson. It’s not the anniversary of his death – that was Friday. It’s a bit late, sorry.
Every Australian remembers where they were when they heard Heath Ledger died
— CAMERONWILSON (@cameronwilson) January 24, 2021
But it is still interesting, isn’t it, that 13 years later a certain generation of young Australians have vivid memories of where they were and how they found out about his passing.
walking from belco interchange to my temp job at the child support agency
— Katie Cunningham (@katiecunning) January 24, 2021
Saw it in Christie Cassar’s MSN status in year 11 ????
— Dan Butler (@radiodanbutler) January 24, 2021
Weirdly yes. On military road in Mosman on my way to Taronga zoo.
— CJ (@CJ_Svenson) January 24, 2021
At home, it was my birthday, and one of the first messages I got was an interstate friend (who had already been awake a few hours ahead of me so was already in the loop) saying ‘happy birthday but don’t turn the news on if you’re a Heath Ledger fan’.
— Emily (@Emilitaa23) January 25, 2021
Having my second lot of braces removed—the best day of my teenage life (though not much stiff competition there).
— Joe Action Cutcliffe (@joecutcliffe) January 24, 2021
Driving to work in Fremantle not too far away from where he grew up.
— No Whey José Ⓥ (@ZombieBunnie) January 24, 2021
Some people were on holiday, or coming back from one:
in my mum’s jayco campervan on vacation in queenscliff dressing a knee wound from crashing my bike. heard it on the radio
— jennifer willmore (@ritalingrrl) January 24, 2021
Yes I do. We were on a plane, just landed and phones connecting to the internet again. I remember clearly mainly due to @Regina_atk response to my response of ‘who’s Heath Ledger’
— Laurie Atkinson (@LaurieAtkinson) January 24, 2021
And some people were far abroad when they heard the news:
I was in London in a hotel room with my dad and his gf and when I saw the news on the TV I locked myself in the bathroom and wouldn’t come out
— cathy (@catherinebouris) January 24, 2021
On my way to Kirkintulloch in Scotland. I actually pulled off the road to listen to the news.
— Craig (@cragget) January 24, 2021
My entire film school in Seattle just cleared the agenda spent the whole day talking about him.
— Victoria De Capua (@victoriadecapua) January 24, 2021
This is as good an excuse as any for me to start back up my Heath Ledger marathon sleepovers. First up: 10 Things I Hate About You. Who’s coming?
