It’s been 10 whole years since the tragic, untimely death of Heath Ledger and still, his immense performance in The Dark Knight continues to be a source of inspiration and awe.
On January 22nd, 2008, Ledger died due to a cardiac arrest brought on by a drug overdose. He was only 28 years old at the time of the incident, which left the entire entertainment industry in mourning at the loss of such a great, raw talent. If there’s one small solace to take away from Heath Ledger’s all-too-brief time on this Earth, though, it’s that he saved his best performance for last, and that’s something the Internet has honored on the 10th anniversary of his untimely death.
Here’s a small sample of the industry’s reactions, beginning with a piece from People that features an interview with his surviving sister, Kate Ledger:
Heath is hugely important in the lives of my children. There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t share stories or talk about him. He is very much alive in our house.
It’s been a full decade and still, the fact that we’ll never see another Heath Ledger performance is enough to bring a tear to the eye. Here’s a round-up of those tributes, beginning with a Tweet that sums up today’s anniversary quite perfectly: “10 years ago today, we lost one of the most talented actors of our generation.” And we couldn’t agree more.
10 years ago today we lost one of the most talented actors of our generation, RIP Heath Ledger. pic.twitter.com/PDsYtzW5GZ
— BenchWarmers (@BeWarmers) January 22, 2018
"When I die, my money's not gonna come with me. My movies will live on for people to judge what I was as a person." Remembering Heath Ledger, who passed away 10 years ago today. pic.twitter.com/eKyGujvn4F
— hmv (@hmvtweets) January 22, 2018
It was one of the most shocking news events in entertainment history. Today marking ten years since Heath Ledger’s death, we look back at some of his best moments. #9Today pic.twitter.com/hIGhQtVxFO
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) January 22, 2018
Heath Ledger's Joker performance is so good that you forget he's Heath Ledger. The Dark Knight remains forever rewatchable. pic.twitter.com/LJETsi6tre
— Adam (@AdamJoseph____) January 21, 2018
It's 10 years to the day since the world tragically lost Heath Ledger, and his 'Joker Diary' is a haunting reminder of just how committed he was as an actor. https://t.co/XZmEgoPdSR pic.twitter.com/wgrQQhWibj
— LADbible (@ladbible) January 22, 2018
And just as Carrie Fisher was and forever will be Princess Leia, Heath Ledger will always be the Clown Prince of Crime. Because in The Dark Knight, the late, great actor delivered a tour-de-force performance that transcended the silver screen to become something more – something immortal. And that’s exactly what he achieved with his pitch-perfect Batman role, even if he didn’t know it at the time.
So here’s to you, Heath Ledger – the best comic book villain ever to grace the silver screen.
