When I heard the news about Heath Ledger yesterday I was sad in a way that I didn’t expect. It got me to thinking about why I was so sad. I can’t but wonder if it has something to do with my age and his age. There have been sad and unexpected deaths throughout my life - John F Kennedy Jr., Kurt Cobain, Chris Farley, Princess Diana (forgive me if I am forgetting some) but for the most part I had no real connection with these folks or was too young to really process it.

Heath, being only 28 (I’m 25) hits closer to home for me - he was supposed to be one of those actors that got older as I got older. I imagine some of my sadness also comes from the fact that I saw his latest movie I’m Not There three times (enjoying it more each time) and  in many ways he is the emotional center of that film.

More than that though, the way his death is being handled in the news makes me especially sad. Pictures and video of his body being wheeled out of the apartment building are all over the internet. Likewise, pictures of his ex-fiancee and mother of his child, Michelle Williams, as she prepared to come to New York are also all over the internet. Now some say that when you become famous you give up your right to privacy - that you are asking for folks to follow you around. And of course, there are some folks that ask for the coverage, that aim just to be a celebrity, but this isn’t the case here. Heath gave us all some amazing films to watch, he gave us the chance to escape, to learn and to enjoy cinema, and what do we give him in return? We photograph his body-bag and hound down his daughter.

Limits need to be set - the films Heath made taught us all something about what it means to be human - perhaps people should take that humanity and leave him and his family alone.

So , watch one of his movies and focus on his life instead of the media circus surrounding his death.