Heath Ledger's sisters: Joker role in 'The Dark Knight' had nothing to do with his death

A documentary about Heath Ledger's life called I Am Heath Ledger will air on Spike TV next month. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival over the weekend, and Ledger's sisters Kate Ledger and Ashleigh Bell were there to debunk a popular, yet unfounded rumor about their brother's untimely death.

We know that Heath Ledger took his role in The Dark Knight very seriously. You can see that up on the screen as you watch his Oscar-winning performance as The Joker. But as the rumor goes... all the darkness associated with The Joker took a toll on Ledger, leaving him depressed, which led to his drug overdose. According to Ledger's sisters, that couldn't be further from the truth.

“Everything that came to light about the Joker, we were all so confused,” Kate said. She and Bell went on to call speculation that the role made their brother depressed “so not true.”

“Honestly, it was the absolute opposite,” Kate went on. “He had an amazing sense of humor, and I guess maybe only his close family and friends really knew that, but he was having fun. He wasn’t depressed about the Joker.”

I Am Heath Ledger will air on Spike TV on Wednesday, May 17 at 10 pm ET. It'll then be released on Digital HD on May 23. You can check out the trailer below.

SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly

29 comments

Fréaláf Hildeson

April 24, 2017

Hopefully that silly rumor will disappear from Internet now (it won't).

OmegaCorleone

April 24, 2017

Never believed it had anything to do with his untimely death.

Seb

April 24, 2017

Happy to see them clear this bs "rumor" up.

Nahuel Benvenuto

April 24, 2017

lol, the amount of dark shit that goes on hollywood, including pedophilia, and most people dont even know it or believe it, i am sure it does have something to do with it, it was even "prophetized" IN the movie, AND in the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, that is FILLED with esoteric symbolism, also he has the same make up style as Brandon Lee in The Crow, who was also murdered, dont believe the media boys and girls

ShadowGuardian
April 24, 2017
I was agreeing with you until you started talking about prophecy and everything that followed. That's some conspiracy level stuff man.
It's true though, unfortunately some powerful people in Hollywood seem to be able to get away with horrible illegal activities and they need to be stopped.
Ezee23
April 25, 2017
What in the five hells are you on about??

Kryptonian Knight

April 24, 2017

Greatest Joker of all time! They could retire the character on film and I'd be fine with it.

Guy Incognito
April 25, 2017
It's pretty great!
OGmacrazy
April 25, 2017
Unfortunately, it's too late for that now. We now have this, instead:
https://68.media.tumblr.com...

Jesse Hernandez

April 24, 2017

Prove me wrong but, I feel like it contributed to his death. He locked himself away in a hotel to capture the essence of the joker, never had I seen anyone emerse themselves to a character like that. So much commitment that he didn't even get the time to sleep, literally right after the grueling shooting schedule of TDK he went straight to film "dr parnassus imaginarium". There's a lot of things that factored into his death and I believe that TDK was a factor

roguegeek
April 25, 2017
Prove you wrong? No. Prove you and your silly rumors are right. It's nice to see the documentary and family dispel that popular and unfounded rumor. I get people want to think it's true because it somewhat romances the death, but it's always been some silly conspiracy theory with no legs.
1. Clay Castille
  April 25, 2017
  "Do you see how silly dumb phrases with no meaning are" is a dumb phrase, meaning ironically lost on you"
Hunter Zolomon
April 25, 2017
Doesn't matter what you think his sister knew him better then you or me so if she says it didn't factor into his death then it didn't, no debate here at all.
Clay Castille
April 25, 2017
Sure, method acting could have affected his sleep cycle, and as the coroners ruled it an accidental overdose, the job could have contributed to his overall state. But that has nothing to do with the nature of the character or his portrayal. So, you're not really positing anything giving credence to those rumors, just stating the obvious, that the way Heath lived his life brought about a premature death.

Foomankru

April 24, 2017

RIP, Mr. Ledger. Unforgettable performance. What do you all make of this pic posted by Leto?
https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

ShadowGuardian
April 24, 2017
Is that official?
1. Foomankru
  April 25, 2017
  No clue. Leto tweeted it but why?? Looks kinda photoshopped? Maybe?
  EDIT: ok I'm now being told they are the Hot Toys figures.
  1. Ezee23
    April 25, 2017
    Man, these toys are getting very realistic-looking.
    Then again, how's Joker going to use a knife to cut into that armoured cowl? he should be aiming for the shoulder area, he's vulnerable there.
    1. Akil Manaz
      April 25, 2017
      Um....the mouth area?
    2. OGmacrazy
      April 25, 2017
      Then the knife should be in the mouth area. You don't threaten someone with a knife by putting it in a different place you're going to attack them in.
    3. Akil Manaz
      April 25, 2017
      Looks like my response to his comment went over your head.
    4. OGmacrazy
      April 25, 2017
      Did it, though?
    5. Akil Manaz
      April 26, 2017
      Yes
    6. OGmacrazy
      April 26, 2017
      Whatever you say.
OGmacrazy
April 25, 2017
Seems like the joker is even dumber than he looks if he's going to try to cut through bullet proof material.
The Doctor
April 25, 2017
Are those action figures? Anyways he was just resharing something from another instagram account. I wouldn't put so much stock into it.

SΛŁIM

April 25, 2017

Honestly, I didn't know that many claimed that getting so much into their character, was what drove Ledger to death. Anyway, there will always be rumors, rumors everywhere.

On the other hand, some people say that Ledger was given an Oscar just for pity and that his family should return that statuette, but the fact is that Ledger deserved all the awards for such a masterful performance as the Joker.

thefallen83

April 25, 2017

Urban legends can be so stupid sometimes...

Jenarius

April 27, 2017

"Gaze into the abyss and the abyss gazes back into you"

Why does the majority of this comment section feel confident that Ledger's sisters are the authority on this man's psychology? Our life is one long existentialistic crisis and as other people will remain a mystery to us, which no amount of hermeneutics can solve, we too are a mystery to us. Ledger, no doubt, dealt with a many-faced beast, but there is no one who can say with any resemblance of true authority on this complex psychological problem, that the Joker did NOT have anything to do with it. He died, what, two months after shoot? A causality seems a plausibility.

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Heath Ledger's sisters: Joker role in 'The Dark Knight' had nothing to do with his death

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