Heath Battled Drugs
Filed under: Australiastic > Heath LedgerWhile it remains uncertain if Heath Ledger's tragic death on Tuesday was the result of an accidental overdose or a suicide….
It has now become apparent that the actor kept a substance abuse issue hidden very well. Ledger may have also been suffering from depression.
Click here to watch a shocking video of Heath being interviewed just two months ago, and appearing to be clearly under the influence of drugs.
Posted: January 22, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Obviously, none of you guys have had to deal with someone who is on drugs. I had an uncle who acted the same exact way. Not so much when he was on the drugs, but when he was sober and feenin for some. This guy was obviously very troubled and this is very sad
.
incredibly shocking
soooooooooo sad
rip heath
How awful… what a shame! Heath's death reminds me of River Phoenix's. So Sad!!!
not saying that he wasn't on drugs, but all of Heath's interviews are very anxious.
He didn't like doing interviews.
omg he was such a good actor its a sad day! poor hottie!
How f*cking rude of you. They havent even removed his body from the apartment yet and you are spreading vicious rumors. How do you know he didnt commit suicide? Or have an allergic reaction? You are an obese vile beast. I hope your death is the next one to make headlines.
RIP Heath. Condolences to family and friends. How tragic.
This is so incredibly sad! Heath was an incredibly talented actor. A real rare breed!
He's dead ? Good!
if you watch it with the sound off (i had to bc I share an office) he looks really messed up, the constant scratching and rubbing his arms, the poor eye contact, etc. like a junkie.
Heath Ledger should not have been doing drugs. Drugs are bad.
auj, he was never married so there was no divorce.
So Sad, Australia loves Heath and it's a bit shock for us.
Looks like he's on drugs? Everyone knew he was a shy guy and hated the press and attention, he just looked anxious! why don't you stop bad mouthing him Perez and have some respect for his family and a nation that is grieving for him. RIP Heath.
slurred speech, disorganized thoughts, constant fidgeting, and the good old "itch"
he does not seem "clearly on drugs." STUPID
The way he is constantly touching himself and the way he looked back at the pic and even the way he talks sounds high……
I'm a druggie and I would've asked him to pass some stuff over…
Perez, why do you have to be such a dick? His death is sad and tragic and there are too few details to accuse Ledger of being "clearly under the influence of drugs." Why don't you show some clips of how talented he was? Show some respect.
If you look at all the other videos of Heath he was just a fidgety person. It does not mean he has on drugs that day.
stupid bitch. burn in hell homo!
It's 8:30am here in Western Australia, Heath's home state, and I have just woken to this shocking news. So very tragic. My heart goes out to little Matilda and his family.
Fucking perez, stop assuming things that you can prove and then say it's fact he could've been sick or out of it at that interview doesn't necessarily mean he was on drugs just because he's moving around a lot.
this is speculation
i don't see where he was CLEARLY under the influence of drugs
don't be a media bitch perez and don't mess with real things
RIP. How incredibly sad. What a waste of an incredible talent.
'…clearly under the influence of drugs' Whatever!! Heath looked very articulate.
Media need to stop stretching stories, and making their own judgements to a celebrities downfall. Ok, we all love a bit of pop culture now and then, but websites like these need to be shut down. They demean the actor, and make it harder for their families to grieve.
ii love him !! this is sooo sad.
im in totally shock .. it sucks(N) .
rip..
* 10 things i hate about you .
i have to agree with a lot of the other posters, how is he 'clearly' under the influence of drugs?
He's coherent, his eyes are clear, he looks uncomfortable undeniably but drugged? Not at all.
I love you Perez but thats bullshit, he's not CLEARLY anything but a shy guy, maybe even just VERY tired and wanting to go. being fidgety during an interview doesnt mean you're drugged up it could mean any number of things, i get like that when im exhasuted, your body pumps adrenaline around and you get like, 'ants in your pants' if you'll excuse the childish phrasing, i've been like that talking to my mother and i can guarantee you i'm not on drugs.
I know its naieve to jump to the defence of an actor just because i was on a fan but i truly cant see what you're getting at. and yeah, as some one said its SHAMELESS of you to post something like this with such a leading headline. You're supposed to be a reporter.
RIP
honestly i think he is just a fidgiter, he didnt look stoned
he's not under the influence in this video!
that's just how us aussies talk!
he just couldn't be bothered with the interview, like he is in many interviews.
try looking up the time he was peeling an orange throughout an interview.
r.i.p heath.
perez! i can't believe this! i love you and your site to no end but posting this simple video and claiming that he is under the influence? not only that, but saying he battled drugs, as if this were something long term?? no! that is not news, not celebrity or otherwise! that is falsifying information and lying to your concerned and saddened fans! not only your fans, but poor heath's as well! he may HAVE battled drugs, he may HAVE been a druggie, but you simply CANNOT assume something like that without ANY means of justification! shame on you perez, that's dirty. moving arms about does not justify drug use, it merely suggests nerves or that he was comfortable with the interviewer enough to move freely. please correct this error in your judgment perez, or mine and many others will have quite the corrected opinion of YOU.
please clarify for someone unfamiliar with ppl on drugs… why was he clearly under the influence? was it the itching???
Re: Hal R Hosfeld – Fuck you.
You know i still can't believe this happened to someone who had good roles coming his way. hopefully this becomes a lesson to all these stupid retarded celebrities that are in the news every fuckin day and stop doing all this stupid shit. R.I.P Heath you will be missed by everyone who admired you and your talent. Prayers and thoughts go out to his family and his daughter.
he was always a pathetic interviewer… he sat during one interview on Australia's Morning News Show - Sunrise - and showed more interest in peeling an orange..
I really feel for his daughter.
oh no he's got the fidgets, he was always uncomfortable being interviewed you fat turd
we can only hope if this comes in 3's, you're next perez
a bus would do nicely
Romney for President . he hates fags.
I don't know if I agree w/Perez saying "he is clearly under the influence" - to me he looks uncomfortable and as someone also said anxious. It's a shame.
on the contrary, he is clearly NOT under the influence of drugs. This is simply his nerves getting the best of him.
yeah, I'm done with this website too. (re: beetlebugg)
Couldn't live w/himself after engaging in unnatural sex acts in BBM!
you dont know for sure..maybe he just had to pee…dont start stuff unless you know the truth. its pretty sad that he is dead..do we have to gossip about all the gorry details…think about his daughter!!
I am so sad about this. Such a great Aussie actor!! Two hands was his best movie ever, watch it if you havent seen it!
Don't "the figits" and the scratching/picking at his right bicep/arm indicate some sort of addiction problem? I don't know that he was necessarily "under the influence" at the time of the interview…looks more like a bit of withdrawal to me. I wish I remembered what all that wiggling and scratching was indicative of. Heroin, I think?
ohhhh myyy gooossshh. i might cry.
and ya he def seems a little big under the drug influence in this interview.
I think he's not under the influence of drugs.
(
Poor Heath, it's so sad,
I saw Heath when he was filming the Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus few days ago in London, at the back of our office.
He was in a clown costume, doing a scene where there is a sorta freak show stage set-up on the street, with a midget, a princess sitting on it. The scene was that the whole stage will flip up and he has to jump onto the flipping stage. I know it sounds weird. They did some rehearsal and he kept stretching his arms and jumping around to warm up before shooting start. He looks so healthy, active but quite serious looking, chatting with the crew every now and then.
no, no, no! if you look at older interviews of heath you will notice that he fidgets a lot through the lot of interviews! why must it always be drugs! either way. i hope he rests in peace. poor guy. or maybe luck him? REST IN PEACE HEATH! YOU were immensely talented!
the guy is shy and extremely uncomfortable and probably genuine and not a bullshitting bloviator like many other hollywood stars. dont stretch that he is "clearly under the influence". you know as much about being shy as you do about having a miscarriage. stick to what you know.
what do you mean 'clearly under the influence of drugs'? Thats just speculation!
My first thought: this is a wake up call for Britney Spears
what a pile of nonsense…that video is not shocking.
the guy was clearly fidgety, and bored out of his mind…that interview was clearly done with a foreign reporter, asking the same mind-bogglingly boring questions that happene on all these press junkets…
the star sits in the same dumb room, at a hotel, and over the next 6 hours, the star is subjected to 100 interviews with 100 different people all asking the same questions…
see if you do not get a little tired and distracted and fidgety doing that.
what a pile of cr*p
so sad… i wish people of his fame level would get help… brittney better watch out… bad things come in 3's!
Is it the Hollywood machine that makes all actors do drugs? My thoughts go out to his family.
fuck you perez…who do you think you are? some kind of expert? i can not wait to hear about your death…that would be more of a relief than a shock!
All his fidgeting in the video does indicate he was under the influence of something or that he couldn't wait to get out of there to get his next fix. It's sad to see how young hollywood is being ravaged by drugs and alcohol. I dare to say there were illegal drugs involved in addition to sleeping pills in his death. Didn't Amy Winehouse say that she was using valium to bring her down from her drug binge, could be the same for Heath. All this quick success and wealth tends not to be good for many of these entertainers.
He looks like a guy who is jonzing for a cigarette to me- he certainly isn't clearly on drugs in this video.
Have some class, Perez.
How is he "clearly under the influence" in this interview? He's always been jumpy and uncomfortable in interviews, like a little child not being able to sit still. He's always admitted to that shy behavior.
Poor guy. Loved him.
This totally blew my mind. They're also saying it might have been suicide. Either way this sucks, he was so talented, good looking, and he had a baby. RIP Heath.
condolences to his family. this is truly tragic..
so disrespectful!!!!!!!!! sort yourself out perez. stop digging for shitty news that doesnt exist (hes clearly not on drugs here) and focus on the imprtant stuff! the mans left behind a daughter!!!!!!!! your not a journalist…you just like a good bitch!
=/
i'm really bummed out about this.
=/
i'm really bummed out about this.
I heard he was shy when it came to interviews. He seems uncomfortable.
Maybe he did not sleep well.
Que pena!
ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS???!?!?! MAKE A REAL POST ABOUT THIS!!!! NOW!
Re: hung solo – i agree totally!
I remember seeing this a while back and thinking to myself "Why is he scratchy and spacey? He's not a junkie"…. Now it makes sense. Anyone who knows anyone who was/is a junkie knows that when you're coming down you're itchy as hell… It's such a sad day in the industry. Heath was a phenominal actor. He will be missed, but not forgotten.
That ain't stretching or fidgeting man! That is clearly heroin or meth… actors know how to behave in front of cameras at junkits. If I hadn't seen this, I would not have believed he was on drugs. Honestly, I can't believe I'm so upset over a celebrity's death… but I loved his acting and he was the "man of my dreams" during my junior high days when my friends and I were all drooling of '10 Things I Hate About You'.
Where exactly in this video does he appear to be under the influence of drugs? He's speaking articulately, his eyes look normal, no strange tendencies except he's moving his arms…
why the fuck do you think he is under the influence in that??
that is a ridiculous assumption. a lot of people twitch or itch or rub themselves when they don't feel comfortable. it doesn't mean that they are tweaked out. and he seems completely lucid and even insightful.
omg no i don't want to watch this… rest peacefully
He took his own life realizing he played a gay guy like Perez
He just seemed nervous to me….maybe he hated interviews. All actors are eccentric, you know. You really want EVERONE to be a drug addict.
heath ledger was probably just tired n moving around to stretch after hours of endless interviews. perez! this is not an indication of drug influence!
Big Deal. Another sad actor bites the dust. Is his death sadder than the dozens of people who will die in IRAQ today?
At least he got to bang movie stars and travel the world. 10 Things I hate about you was such a classic. He should be forced to spend a month in my cubicle, then he would really want to kill himself.
Bye!
GLAD THIS FAG IS DEAD!
GLAD THIS FAG IS DEAD!
GLAD THIS FAG IS DEAD!
GLAD THIS FAG IS DEAD
GLAD THIS FAG IS DEAD!
BROKE BACK MOUNTIAN FAG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Perez, maybe youll reevaluate the shitty way you treat people after this. Asshole.
perez u motherfucker, there is nothing about this vid that shows he suffered substance abuse. ur a fucking bastard and i am sorry he had to die, instead of you. stop trying to malign a dead mans name, you might as well just piss on his grave you shameless gay bastard.
i thought even u had limits but obviously i wrong
He does not appear to be under the influence of drugs in this video clip. He does appear to perhaps have some anxiety or may feel nervous, but he is articulate in his responses. I watched some other clip of him on Ellen from 2006 and he had similar mannerisms, he didn't seem comfortable with the attention, but was able to answer the questions she asked with ease. RIP.
I have never felt the urge to comment before but must to say, Perez you are such a giant TURD. SHOCKING and OBVIOUSLY ON DRUGS. That is perverse, ridiculous and straight up exploitation. Shocking - an actor thinking about his roles. Shocking - he's uncomfortable at a miserable press junket. Shocking - he wants to get out of there. Obviously on drugs - you cretin. You naive baby. Take that down. Revolting.
jeez lay off him, hes still warm
That video is the best you can come up with to supposedly prove that he was hiding a substance abuse problem?!? That video only shows that he was bored probably toward the end of a full day of junket interviews. And how can you call your announcements "exclusives" when other outlets announced first?
I agree this is a little soon to have posted this story.. but
For all those who say you don't understand how this shows he was on drugs, you apparently have never seen anybody all wired on drugs, have you? His "fidgeting" was clearly symptomatic of an addict wired high on drugs. Believe me, when you know what it looks like, there is no mistaking it. That was not anxiety or nervousness.
My heart goes to the family..
Unfortunately and sadly, the man WAS clearly on something.
awee , that`s sad to even watch… all fidgety… why didn`t anyone help him? well… it`s to late now R.I.P xxx
wow you are all crazy. i am so sad about heath ledger, but he is obviously on drugs in this clip. no one rubs and stretches their arms non-stop for an entire interview like that.
no denying… he is sketching out….
sad.
He isnt clearly under the influence! He looks clearly nervous!
I see someone who is not comfortable doing interviews and has an attention issue, which I believe he has said before he had ADD. How can you see its apparent he was under drug use. You are fueling a fire that you have no right to fuel. He is dead, and has a 2 year old daughter, this is extremely bad taste perez.
SERIOUSLY… JUST LEAVE HIM BE… HES GONE STOP FUCKING CONTEMPLATING WHAT KILLED HIM AND REMEMBER HIM FOR THE GOOD THINGS NOT THE FUCKING DRUGS HE TOOK
Where's Tom Cruise when you need him???
i live in austin where he was supposed to film with sean penn in march… but he turned down the role recently. i was at a walk in clinic for a cold, and the nurses were all giddy because heath had been in a week or so earlier… one of the nurses mentioned that he was being treated for anxiety and that he hated to fly. she really should not have mentioned that… but watching this video makes me think of what she said. quite sad.
WHEN WILL PE0PLE LEARN THAT DRUGS ARE BAD???
Young hollywood need to learn how to look after their money.
such a shock. My heart goes out to his family.
And who gives a damn if you're fucking first. stop being so rediculous.
I agree this is a little soon to have posted this story.. but
For all those who say you don't understand how this shows he was on drugs, you apparently have never seen anybody all wired on drugs, have you? His "fidgeting" was clearly symptomatic of an addict wired high on drugs. Believe me, when you know what it looks like, there is no mistaking it. That was not anxiety or nervousness. At the very least, he was jonesin' for a fix.
My heart goes to the family..
Unfortunately and sadly, the man WAS clearly on something.
Wow, he looks like he's "Rolling Balls" Ecstasy is bad…
OMG YOU CAN TOTALLY SEE HIS PARANOIA…HE LOOKS LIKE HE WANTS TO RUN AWAY! POOR HEATH……MAY HE REST IN PEACE
This is speculative reporting and horrible writing on Perez Hilton's part. "It has now become apparent that the actor kept a substance abuse issue hidden very well." How is it apparent at the moment? Reports indicate that he was found dead will pills near him, but other than that, there are not enough details to make such a statement. If you watch real journalists on TV at the moment, you'll notice that they're shying away from such announcements. And regarding that video — Hilton says he "appears" to be "clearly" under the influence of "drugs." Well, does he appear to be, or IS he? You have to be definitive, for Christ's sake. Oh, and if he's so CLEARLY under the influence of drugs, why don't you tell everyone what drugs he was under the influence of? Beat the autopsy report and tell us NOW, smart guy!
what a fuckwit, i cant believe he died and left his kid fatherless, what a cock
I wish perez would OD and die
rest in peace Heath…
i dont think he was in drugs on that interview. you can tell he was nervous and probably wanted to be somewhere else and doing something else other than the interview. he also looks slightly overworked and tired. he is definately not on drugs…. he looks more agitated, bored and slightly nervous.
He looks to me like he has the morphine scratch thing going on……
and he certainly can't seem to focus on the questions……
I think he is on something in this interview.
Just my opinion…..