Anche il Joker muore nel sonno

Accidental Pill Overdose Killed Heath Ledger Source: The Associated Press February 6, 2008 The Dark Knight star Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of painkillers, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medication and other prescription drugs, the New York City medical examiner said Wednesday. The cause of death was "acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine," spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said in a statement. The drugs are the generic names for the painkiller OxyContin, the anti-anxiety drugs Valium and Xanax, and the sleep aids Restoril and Unisom. Hydrocodone is a widely used prescription painkiller. Borakove wouldn't say what concentrations of each drug were found in Ledger's blood, or whether one drug played a greater part than another in causing his death. "What you're looking at here is the cumulative effects of these medications together," she said. The ruling comes two weeks after the 28-year-old Australian-born actor was found dead in the bed of his rented SoHo apartment. Police found bottles of six types of prescription drugs, including sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication, in his bedroom and bathroom. Ledger was discovered by his masseuse on Jan. 22 after she arrived for an appointment that afternoon. She entered his bedroom to set up for the massage and found him unresponsive, and proceeded to call Mary-Kate Olsen three times over the next 9 minutes before dialing 911. Ledger had been dead for some time, and police say no foul play occurred. In a statement released through Ledger's publicist, Ledger's father, Kim, said Wednesday: "While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy. Heath's accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage." Molti anni fa, alla morte di James "Jimmy" Dean, alcuni suoi detrattori scrissero che poi... non era neanche un gran che come attore. Ma dico io... si può giudicare così presto un attore che muore a soli 23 anni? Marlon Brando cominciò ad essere veramente famoso verso i 30, Robert De Niro ebbe il ruolo della sua consacrazione a 33, per non parlare di gente come Gene Hackman, che è entrata nel giro che conta verso i 40. Per dirla come gli americani, "... on 40's". Cosa possiamo sapere cosa sarebbe potuto diventare l'attore, al momento, più amato da Terry Gilliam? Dispiace che uno dei più eccentrici, uno dei più "strambi" sia morto. Ci avrebbe regalato qualche sogno un po' meno "stupidino". Leggendo attentamente la notizia appena emessa dai giornali USA, Heath sarebbe morto per un'eccessiva dose di barbiturici, noi li chiamiamo così, in realtà sono puri e semplici "tranquillanti". Il Mondo di Hollywood è molto competitivo, e se non sei sempre al "top", qualcuno casca.

1. Il destino di un cavaliere
2. I fratelli Grimm e l'incantevole strega
3. Gioventù bruciata