husband & I have been watching the Aussie news all day. It broke at about 9 am our time in Sydney. At this stage, the status of the story - the police do not think there is anything suspicious. It is even possible this was neither suicide nor drug overdose (at least not in any deliberate chemical abuse way).
Rumours of him being found naked have not been backed up. Same thing with "pills scattered around the body" - they're now saying he was found unconscious/asleep, with a number of prescription bottles in his name, in the room.
His parents in Perth released a statement in which they insist this was not suicide, but also mentioning he was suffering from pneumonia. And yes, he had finished filming a Batman movie as Joker.
Anything more is speculation - if he had been prescribed various medications and then developed pneumonia, it wouldn't be too difficult to accidentally take more than your body could handle. A sleeping pill when you're otherwise fit and healthy is very different to a sleeping pill when you're already having some trouble breathing. It's why some cough suppressants are dangerous, if you NEED to cough to keep your airways clear. Sometimes it can be that simple.
But whatever the eventual explanation - it won't bring him back.
He really was a brilliant, dedicated actor who put a lot of effort into every film he did. I remember watching interviewed with him about "Brokeback Mountain" (I think he deserved an Oscar for that one). He described how he chose the manner of speaking for his character as the guy needing to punch his words through a tightly clamped mouth, as if using a clenched fist behind his words. Something in the character of the part, the internal conflict and the inconsistencies in other aspects of the character - he really dug deep to play that role. It took a lot of courage for both those actors, not an easy (or popular) topic. But it was about far more than sexuality - it was about relationships, communication and what we do to ourselves, as much as anything else.
My favourite film of his - "10 Things I Hate About You". I think my girls both prefer "A Knight's Tale".
He was very good at playing flawed characters, nothing one-dimensional about the man or the roles he played.
Very definitely - he will be sorely missed.
Marg
