On Heath Ledger’s 11th death anniversary, Dark Knight fans post emotional messages for the Joker actor

Eleven years after his sudden death, actor Heath Ledger remains relevant in the memories of his fans. Several people took to Twitter on the anniversary of his death to remember the actor, and his body of work.

Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on January 22, 2008, months before the world saw his performance as the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Ledger went on to win a posthumous Oscar for his role in the film.

“On the 22nd of January of 2008, we not only lost an outstanding actor but also a beautiful soul. Rest in peace, we love you and you’ll never be forgotten. All of your work is still very present in the film industry and in our hearts,” one fan tweeted. “Never give up on the things in life that make you smile,” another person tweeted, quoting Ledger.

Also read: On The Dark Knight’s 10th anniversary, 10 films inspired by Christopher Nolan’s monumental trilogy

Others shared pictures of the late actor, and of his final interviews, given to promote the film I’m Not There. Ledger had the Joker’s long hair during that time, and was asked by some interviewers about his performance.

When Ledger died, a narrative was floated around the internet which blamed his deep dive into the Joker character as having contributed to his death. Michael Jai White, one of Ledger’s co-stars in The Dark Knight, in an earlier interview to the Hollywood Reporter, dismissed this idea. “It upsets me that Heath gets put in a category, like he was a method actor who inhabited this darkness that consumed him because people write that story in their head,” he said. “And that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Heath was playful. When the director would say ‘cut,’ he would go back to this easygoing, very affable type of guy. Even when there was a day player or people in shorter roles, naturally they tend to give him his privacy and space, but Heath would be on the one initiating the conversation. He was that type of guy.”

Here are some more tweets:

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