Heath Ledger Found Dead in NYC Apartment

First, Brad Renfro. Now, Heath Ledger. 25 and 28 years old, respectively. Both dead. It's odd.

Speculation is that Heath Ledger died of either an accidental overdose or a suicide. Pills were found all around him in his apartment in New York City.

I've got to be perfectly honest in saying that, for the longest time, I didn't really like Heath Ledger as an actor. I hope that's an okay thing for me to say in lieu of his death.

But I didn't. I never cared for 'A Knight's Tale' or 'The Patriot.' '10 Things I Hate About You' didn't exactly thrill me.

And yet I grew to respect him as an actor, especially after 'Brokeback Mountain.' I'm looking forward to seeing him as The Joker in 'The Dark Knight', the sequel to Christopher Nolan's 'Batman Begins'. He was a good actor and perhaps a troubled man.

I hate to take a swipe at Britney Spears here, but it does seem that maybe the coverage of her trainwreck of a life may prevent other stars from coming forward with news of their own addictions and personal problems.

The line between a respectful sort of personal trouble and a public circus is often hard to decipher, especially with the unabashed and hysterical media we have in this country. In all of this, I certainly hope that it wasn't our patronizing view of young starlets which may have prevented Heath Ledger from getting help.