Gary Oldman has opened up about the time he heard the heartbreaking news of Heath Ledger’s death. The Oscar-winning actor, who played James Gordon alongside Ledger’s Joker in Christopher Nolan’s 2008 film The Dark Knight, said the news left him caught off guard. Ledger died on January 22, 2008, when he was only 28.
Gary Oldman recalls his friendship with Heath Ledger and learning of his death at 28
During a panel at the Toronto International Film Festival, the 68-year-old said he mostly remembered “being friends with him,” reports Entertainment Weekly. Oldman paused and looked toward his longtime manager, Douglas Urbanski, seated in the audience, and said, “I remember, Douglas, you told me. You were the one who broke the news to me. I was in utter, utter [shock].”
Oldman also paid tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died in 2014. He praised both actors as “extraordinary talents” and said it was painful to lose them “within a relatively short [amount of time].” Both Ledger and Hoffman earned praise for their performances in The Dark Knight and Doubt, respectively. Their performances also earned them Academy Award nominations. Ledger ultimately won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the DC Comics villain. The Academy honored him posthumously.
Oldman accepted the award on his behalf at the 2009 ceremony. Speaking on stage during the telecast, Oldman said, “I’m quite emotional now. It is a great honor to be asked to accept this on behalf of Heath. He was an extraordinary young man with an extraordinary talent, and it is wonderful that you have acknowledged that and honored that talent tonight.”
Ledger was found dead by his masseuse on the afternoon of January 22, 2008. He died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. There were no signs of illegal drugs. The cause of death was “acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine,” reports The Guardian.
