When I heard about Heath Ledger’s death, two things come to my mind. First, how young he was. I thought he’s at least thirtysomething since he’s in the movie business for quite some time, who knew he was 28, my age! I stared at the R.I.P. headlines – 1979-2008, those numbers just give me chills.

Secondly, how the news media turned this into a circus show. We can already seen this from the primary caucuses and now we see more evidence of it that the news media no longer “report” news, they lost sight of that a long time ago, what they are in the business for right now, is to predict news, to mention possible outcome with a surely tone, to fabricate their own news, etc. It might not be their own fault, this state and age with everyone hunger for instant news is probably the main reason to blame, but they have their shares of responsibilities. They “reported” the death of Heath in such a sensational way that any unproved gossips and bits and pieces become headline materials as if they are fact. From the “reports” that he died in Mary-Kate Olsen’s apartment, to pills were all over the apartment, to suggested that he was known to be a substance abuser…. so many rumors and gossips make it to the front page headline and yet almost none of them were proven truth, and the cause of his death is still inconclusive. The final results won’t come in until another 10 days and of course, by that time the media will be onto the next story, the truth of his death will barely make a paragraph in the news.

The rumor of Olsen came from the fact that the masseuse and the housekeeper that discover his body called Olsen first instead of calling for ambulance and the police. I am not sure if there’s any sane person would called the Olsen twins first instead of actual help when they discover someone is unconscious or dead! As for the drugs rumor, i think there’s a big difference between sleeping pills and illegal substance, not to mention the police said all the perscripted pills were not all over the room around his body but in bottles and cabinet.

Of course, the reason of his death is still unknown until the final result, but I rather hope for this is a boring sleeping pill overdose accident instead of another sensational young talent die of drug abuse story.

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