We’ll always heart you Heath

Tragedy has struck Hollywood again. Barely a week after the death of Brad Renfro, 25, Heath Ledger was also found dead. He was only 28. The Aussie actor’s rep and family are calling his death an accident, though an official cause has yet to be announced. A statement from the grieving family printed by People magazine read: “[Heath] was found peacefully asleep in his New York apartment by his housekeeper at 3:30 pm US time… Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life but few had the pleasure of truly knowing him. He was a down-to-earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving and selfless individual who was extremely inspirational to many. Please now respect our family's need to grieve and come to terms with our loss privately.” Other Australian actors are speaking of their sorrow. "I had such great hope for him," Mel Gibson, who starred with Heath in The Patriot, said. "He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family." Nicole Kidman had similar sentiments: "What a tragedy, she said. “My heart goes out to his family."
I first fell in love with Heath Ledger in 1999 when he played the dark brooding hunk in the modern retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, 10 Things I Hate About You. After that he went on to win more hearts in A Knight’s Tale and then he stirred up controversy with his turn as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain (for which he earned an Oscar nomination). This summer will be the bittersweet release of The Dark Knight in which Heath played The Joker.
He will be missed.

Brad Renfro, R.I.P.

Brad Renfro, one of my childhood crushes, passed away earlier this week at the young age of 25 from yet-to-be-known causes. Renfro, who starred in the movie adap of Grisham’s The Client and Tom and Huck with JTT in the mid ‘90s, was found not breathing by friends Tuesday morning (January 15). According to People magazine, Renfro’s pals called 911 and the paramedics declared him dead at the scene. Though the cause of death is not yet known, it has been known (rather publicly) that the former child star struggled with substance abuse. LA county coroner chief investigator Craig Harvey told People that an overdose is a "possibility considering his history, but right now all we have is the history of his drinking the previous night… All that we have is that he was last known to be alive during the morning hours and he was snoring." Renfro had a troubled life. He once tried to steal a yacht and was caught in a police sting that led to a felony charge for attempting to possess heroin. Renfro’s former defence attorney, Blair Berk (who’s also repped Lindsay Lohan and Mel Gibson), talked to People about the tragic death. "As critical and prescient as you become in this town, all I did was cry when I heard the news," he said. "I feel in some respects like we all failed."