Heath Ledger broke hearts as Ennis Del Mar, the taciturn cowboy who maintains a secret 20-year affair with another man in 2005’s gay landmark, Brokeback Mountain.

Now Ledger is breaking hearts for real. He died Tuesday at the peak of his brief career. The 28-year-old actor’s naked body was found in a New York apartment by a housekeeper and a masseuse, according to police, who said signs point to suicide.

Brokeback, the cinematic groundbreaker directed by Ang Lee and co-starring Jake Gyllenhaal, was embraced by gay and straight moviegoers alike, collecting $83 million at the box office on a $14 million budget.

The tragic Western allowed the Aussie actor a chance to finally erase the teen-hunk label that he was saddled with ever since his breakthrough in 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You, Disney’s high-school takeoff on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Ledger not only earned respect for his work on Brokeback but also won an Oscar nomination for his efforts.

He also met and fell for his co-star Michelle Williams. The romance lasted long enough to produce daughter Matilda, now 2.

 

 By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY

As for my personnal oppinion, I was shocked upon hearing this bad news frm my classmate this morning and even my teacher
confirmed that this comedy actor is alresy dead because of Drug overdose. We really can’t tell our
life here on earth if when, where or how we will die. So, let’s just pray for his soul and also for his
family.