"Telephoning" Death

I'm sure as kids we have all played some version of the game Telephone. That's the game where you get people all lined up and the first guy whispers a message to the second and so on and so forth. By the time the message reaches the end of the line, there are so many variations and changes that it isn't even close to the original statement anymore. So what does this have to do with the tragic death of Heath Ledger yesterday? Well as the media was so quick to catch on, Ledger was one of those actors in Hollywood who led what could be termed 'a boring life'. He was a stellar actor who showed his diversity in a variety of roles from "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Patriot" to the forthcoming Batman sequel "The Dark Knight". In spite of fame and the apparent trappings that go with it, Ledger never made the news for having crashed his car after a night of partying or for coming out of rehab with drugs in one hand. Ledger apparently led a normal life so much so that the media seemed hell bent on finding something or the other to bring some 'spice' to the story.

As I watched the news last night in the gym, a few hours after the story broke that Ledger had been found dead in his apartment, I watched in grim fascination as rumor after rumor was spread out there in an effort to get the public 'the facts' of the case. Thus began a macabre game of telephone with the media playing amongst themselves. First came the fact that Ledger was indeed dead. Then came the fact that he had been found with a bottle of pills next to him. Next speculation began running around the fact that perhaps he was secretly a druggie but had done an outstanding job of covering it up. Reporters on the scene and in the studio began having conversations regarding the number of times Ledger had been in rehab. According to the entertainment reporter he hadn't ever been seen in rehab but there were unconfirmed reports that perhaps he had been at one time or another. Rumor now becomes fact, at least at that moment. Someone else makes the statement that he was found in Mary-Kate Olsen's apartment. Blatant lie but it's interesting because she's a celebrity just like him. It would have been good for the media and tabloids had it been true. It would have made an already tragic situation all the more Hollywoodized.

Rumor upon rumor expanded and within an hour or so of the story first hitting the air, reporters were still searching for that confirmation that if not a drug overdose, Ledger committed suicide. I find it sickening that it wasn't only tabloid news programs going through this process of scandalization but major news services as well. Has Hollywood become so jaded as to think that if someone dies and untimely death, it is for any other reason than accidental causes? Perhaps Ledger was deathly allergic to a substance in the medicine he took. It wouldn't be the first time that the medical community has fouled up on perscribing someone a medication not realizing that it could have deadly results for someone taking it. Contrast this to the recent death of actor Brad Renfro. I'm sure many of you out there are wondering who he is. If you recall the movie "The Client" starring Renfro as a child who knows the location of a murdered mob boss who hires lawyer Susan Sarandon to defend him from the scrupulous state's attorney, that was Renfro. He starred in several movies that gained him noteriety as well but his death was marred by the fact that he was known to do drugs and had a record.

Though not as prominent or reputed an actor as Ledger, Renfro's death was also tragic but because he wasn't as famous and died a death 'fitting' for someone doing drugs and the like, it was quickly passed on. Ledger's death apparently needs some more drama and so there's been this rush by the media to find out exactly what happened and until the facts are known, they are desperate to make up their own facts or use rumors until substaniated. The real tragedy in this is that the loss of a fine actor will be overshadowed by the fact that there are rumors about his supposed 'darker life' of drugs and alcohol abuse. It may not be true at all, but the media has already succeeded in planting the seeds of doubt in the public's mind. I hope that the rumors end up being false and that the media approaches with equal vigor the call to bring the truth to light. If he died an accidental death due to the sleeping pills he took then the responsible thing to do is clear his name and ensure that the public knows it.