I don't know... with all respect to the dead, you really are stretching your personal admiration for his fine features into some sort of recognition of an imaginary parallel between his life and his death. For the most part, he was a teenybopper actor who occasionally flirted with bigger roles, and indeed, he sometimes succeeded as in Brokeback Mountain (a somewhat overwraught drama famed mostly for the obvious reason).

Had it been Macauley Culkin who died in that hotel room, and he who you so clearly found so attractive, we'd be reading about the image of Culkin being left Home Alone being a metaphor for his lonely soul.

His portrayal of Ennis del Mar is one of the greatest in film history. He made me (a straight woman) feel the pain not just of the gay men who must keep their emotions hidden but that of ALL men, who are so constrained by the rigid rules of masculinity. He absolutely broke my heart in that movie--helped me to understand my husband, my sons, my brother, my dad just a little bit better. All the "gay cowboy" jokes are pathetic--and by all accounts Heath Ledger hated them too as well he should have. He played one of the greatest tragic film roles of all time and I hope that he is remembered, by those of us who didn't know him at least, for that.

When you are a celebrity, everyone knows you. Of course, they don't actually know you, but something you do creates a connection with your fans. Whether you are an actor, musician, or even a politician, your fans feel a deep relationship.

Heath connected with a lot of people over his short career. He never made an ass of himself on public. He lived in a regular neighborhood. He made some really good films. These are the things that made him even more accessable to his fans. These are the things that make his passing that much harder to deal with.

It's true that he was just an actor and there are a lot of more important things in this world. Think of this. Heath was one of those people that could make all those other things disappear for a short while in his films. For that, he will be missed.

Yes, the parallel to James Dean does come to mind.

If this obit is any measure of his success, then young Ledger has stood his ground and made his name. How many other young actors in movies achieved the versatility and attraction often assigned to "stars" - promotable, well-trained, uninspiring professionals with whom nobody would agree met his standard? In an age of media/movie whoring, Heath Ledger was no tramp.

It surprises me that non-Brit-empire commentators find so few words to shower upon his talent and discography now.

Perhaps, like Dean, a national fervor will arise... pushing him to heights that Hollywood never could. He shall appear over beds in posters and as screensaver Heath L. - the true portrait of our concern about icons - that they cannot shield us from the fate we all share.

The end may not be near for our society and our intimates, but it is never far away either, is it, movie-eaters? This was a real person, and he was every bit as great as an actor can be.

Thank you, Mary Elizabeth, for such an eloquent, reasoned response to the little we know about Heath Ledger's death. Those who dismiss him as a "teenybopper" or who downplay his importance as an actor, especially in the epic romance "Brokeback Mountain," do so "for the obvious reasons." Yes, Heath Ledger was a giant on the screen, but he struck a cord with many of us off camera as well. We may never know what went wrong, what secret sorrows he harbored, but too many of us in this society are careless of other's accomplishments; it's easier to be flip than friendly, I guess. As for me, I start to well up just thinking about Heath as Ennis Del Mar, especially when the soundtrack starts up in my mind and I hear Willie Nelson singing, "He was a friend of mine." He will be sorely missed.

Well I have to say, it looks like he sure knew how to make his exit. From what they've shown so far, he makes a spectacular Joker.

With all respect to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who really did give a fine performance in Capote, I've thought ever since the 2006 Oscars that the Academy played it safe (surprise surprise) by rewarding Hoffman's portayal of a gay man over Ledger's, and that in time this would be remembered as one of the Academy's great mistakes.

I think Ledger's untimely death will make this a certainty.

The header is a reference to Ledger's death, of course, but also to the writer(s) who feel it necessary to respond to a heartfelt encomium to an obviously young and talented individual with the argument that 'he was only....' and hence, not worthy. Death, and a young death, are aspects of the human condition that warrant the meaningful words of Ms Williams.

As Kant would say, the dignity of each human being as a rational being gives each person his own 'end' in this world. Hopefully every human fatality is noted by someone, somewhere, and 'dulce et decorum est' that we should all note the sad demise of this talented young artist and apparently worthy human being.

A few days ago my roomie and I were discussing young actors that we like, and, though Heath Ledger has never been at the forefront of my movie-going consciousness, I named him as the best of the bunch. I was really looking forward to the new Batman movie (I found the last to be ponderous and over-long) mainly on the strength of Ledger's Joker.

I know what it is to be stressed out, anxious, and insomniac. Mr. Ledger clearly took his career very seriously, I can only imagine what a pressure cooker he was living in. He just seemed like a decent, serious person, and it really saddens me that no one was there to catch him when he fell into whatever it was that led to his untimely death.

The loss of Heath Ledger will no doubt be heightened on the release of The Dark Knight. I've seen the trailer and it looks electrifying.