Heath Ledger Dies at 28

Heath Ledger, who recently portrayed Batman's arch nemesis The Joker in the The Dark Knight, died on Tuesday, January 22, 2008. He was only 28. The official cause of death still remains undisclosed to the public, but his body was discovered next to a bottle of prescription sleeping pills, causing much speculation that Ledger died of an accidental overdose. In recent interviews, the Australian born actor had complained about having problems sleeping while playing the demanding role of The Joker. He described his character to the New York Times as a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."

Ledger was best known for his teen heart-throb role in 10 Things I Hate About You and his controversial Oscar nominated performance in Brokeback Mountain as a gay cowboy. Before his untimely death he was working on a film with director Terry Gilliam. However, The Dark Knight may be his last completed performance, ending his career as one of the most iconic villains in comic history. Here is the trailer for The Dark Knight set for release July 18, 2008.

-Jon