Ledger death reveals celebrity obsession

When well-known celebrities die young, their names become legends. The greater the potential, the greater the tragedy, and the more immortalized their lives become. I was shocked by the news of Heath Ledger’s death last Tuesday. I didn’t know the man, but I knew about him. I knew that I liked his acting, his looks, his accent. I had heard the news of his daughter’s birth a few years ago. Beyond that, he was a stranger to me.

Many people in Hollywood who knew and worked with Ledger are talking about the “what ifs,” lingering on the question of who he would have become and what he would have accomplished as an actor. There is just something unique about the deaths of largely recognized celebrities that catch an American’s attention—especially young stars whose potential seems to have been cut short. I was well aware of the situation only two and a half hours after Ledger was pronounced dead; our entire campus was buzzing with the news.

Benazir Bhutto’s death did not ring nearly as loudly in my daily life. Bhutto, the former Pakistani prime minister who had returned to her country from exile, was assassinated after speaking at an election rally on Dec. 27. Her death carries huge implications for what will happen to democracy in the country and surrounding region, yet most were unaware of her death and the effects.

Now, Ledger dies from what may or may not be an accidental drug overdose, and the biggest implication comes in the question: “Was the Batman movie done filming?”

I am going to be the first to admit that I read most of a lengthy article on Bhutto’s death when I heard about the news, yet I pored over articles about the Australian actor. I wanted to know why and how he died. I wanted details. With Bhutto’s death, I wanted to understand the situation, and then I realized it was much bigger than what I could grasp with the little patience I had at the time. So I gave up and moved on to something less demanding.

Ledger dies and makes breaking news; everyone knows. Bhutto dies and makes headlines; many are unaware and indifferent. If I believe every life has equal value like I thought I did, then there’s something wrong with this attention scale.