The news in the entertainment world this week that actor Heath Ledger had been found dead in his home at the age of 28, apparently from an accidental overdose of prescription medication was not only sad and shocking, but unexpected. The actor became well known internationally, and particularly in these parts, when he starred in the controversial Academy Award winning 2005 film Brokeback Mountain, about a forbidden and secretive homosexual relationship between two cowboys.
The manner of his death was unexpected because despite the voyeuristic tendencies of some of the international tabloid media, it had never even been hinted that he was one of the so-called troubled celebrities who so often make the news. It was shocking because if, as it would appear, he overdosed on prescription drugs then it would seem this is becoming a pattern, as it has happened with other celebrities, and perhaps it’s time the authorities, and not just in the US, look into the issue.
It has been reported that some six different prescription drugs were discovered in Ledger’s room, but no one knows as yet how many of them he would have used just prior to his death. One wonders whether they were all issued by the same physician and what would have been the reason for this. The scenario was the same last year when Anna Nicole Smith died in the Bahamas and it was discovered that she had taken several prescribed but contraindicated medications.
It is no secret that some people and not just celebrities seek medication to fall asleep or to stay awake. The danger lies in the overuse or dependency on these drugs, which occurs more often than not.
It is a fact too that there is great pressure attached to stardom and some who attain it pay a high price. For stars and public figures anonymity and a private life are virtually impossible; the bigger the star, the worse it gets. While some seem to handle it well, for others, it appears to be a constant nightmare, said to be fuelled by the need of that person’s fans for every last detail of their lives.
But is the public assault on the famous really fan-driven? Or is it driven by what now seems to be an insatiable ‘celebrity media corps’ whose only motive is to scoop the others at any price? Is it the constant attention of the media that has prompted the excesses of stars like Britney Spears and Michael Jackson or the other way around? And who would suffer the most if the media decided to stop shadowing these personalities? These are questions that the so-called paparazzi and other entertainment journalists must ask themselves, answer honestly and then tailor their coverage so that they are not seen as responsible for wrecking persons’ lives; an accusation that is being made with not surprising regularity since the death of Princess Diana in 1997.
The rich and the famous are people just like the rest of us, who just happen to be wealthy or talented. How they deal with fame depends a lot on their mental and emotional make-up. In some cases, their mental and emotional instability is genetic. Sadly, when this is the case they do not become invisible like the average mentally ill person is and the overwhelming attention is often detrimental.
