Sad news: Home And Away actor was found dead by his housekeeper this morning, March 18, 2025
A friend of Heath Ledger has shared new details about the star’s struggles with fame before his tragic death 16 years ago.
Australian actor Samuel Johnson opened up about his relationship with the late performer and revealed that the 28-year-old had confided in him about his troubles with being in the spotlight.
He was one of the first people to pay tribute to The Dark Knight actor after his tragic death in 2008 following a prescription drug overdose in his New York apartment, which was ruled an ‘accident’.
A coroner concluded that Ledger died due ‘acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine’.
Ledger’s death was said to have been a result of ‘the abuse of prescribed medications’, combined with a possible chest infection that stopped him breathing.
At the time, Johnson said of his pal: “His portrayal of The Joker in the new Batman was going to rival Jack Nicholson’s in the original.
“I’m distraught about this…I think we’ve lost one of the best young actors Australia’s produced – if not the best.”
Ledger and Johnson, 46, started off their careers with small TV roles Down Under, with them both having stints on the iconic soap Home and Away as teenagers.
Although Ledger’s career hit Hollywood heights and his friend’s did not, the pair remained close.
Heath Ledger’s pal has revealed the actor struggled with being in the spotlight (Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)
During an appearance on KIIS FM’s Will and Woody Show on Thursday (18 July), Johnson admitted that he had struggled with being in the public eye, saying the baggage that comes along with it, which left him ‘highly dubious’ about people.
The Secret Life of Us star explained that being introduced to other Aussie icons such as Isla Fisher, Kate Ritchie, and Melissa George on the set of Home and Away ‘hit him like a truck’.
He said: “I went to school the next day, and all of a sudden all the girls were sitting with a space next to them. They were all patting the chairs, saying, ‘Sit next to me’ all of a sudden. So, overnight my life changed.
“I mean everyone and everything changed. I can understand why people freak out a bit because you go around your life being Sam then all of a sudden your family and people around you change a lot.”
Johnson then compared his level of fame to that of Ledger’s, while recalling a conversation they had while taking a walk together one day – as even having a stroll was an ‘intense’ experience with the Brokeback Mountain star.
Samuel Jackson explained that simply walking down the street with the star was ‘intense’ (Hannah Mason/WireImage)
He continued: “I did walk down the street with him [once]. I remember in about three quarters of a block, there were four girls that fainted. They literally just dropped when they saw him.
“I couldn’t believe it. Not one, not two, not three, four inside a block. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was phenomenal.
“I asked him ‘how do you cope?’ And he just looked at me with a world of sadness in his eyes and said: ‘I don’t’.”
Ledger’s death rocked famous faces across the world as well as fans.
Hollywood director Stephen Gaghan previously told how his ‘feet went out from under him’ and he was left ‘speechless’ after being told the news about the actor’s passing.
Celebrities were also seen on the verge of tears when Ledger’s father Kim, his mother Sally Bell and older sister Kate collected the Oscar he was posthumously awarded for Best Supporting Actor in The Dark Knight.
The gong was reportedly gifted to Ledger’s daughter Matilda, who he shared with Michelle Williams, on her 18th birthday last year, according to New Idea.
Featured Image Credit: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage/Warner Bros
Topics: Heath Ledger, Celebrity, Mental Health, Australia
Olivia Burke
Heartbreaking moment Christian Bale fought back tears as he made comment about Heath Ledger on stage
Heath Ledger was honoured with an Oscar after passing away in 2008
It isn’t often that we see a film where both the protagonist and villain are acted so incredibly well that they are equally popular among the audience.
But that is arguably the case with Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, who became close friends when filming 2008 film The Dark Knight. Ledger tragically passed away from an accidental drug overdose at the age of 28.
Ledger is perhaps best known for his role as the Joker in the Christopher Nolan trilogy, unless you’re also a big fan of 10 Things I Hate About You, and he deservedly earned a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, which prompted an emotional response from those at the awards.
Heath Ledger (Carlo Allegri/Getty Images)
Bale, who recently outlined the one thing that would make him reprise his role as Batman, was understandably emotional at the MTV Movie Awards back in 2012 after a video was shown of The Dark Knight with scenes that featured the late Ledger.
The now 51-year-old actor said: “Great to remember Heath in that moment, wonderful to see Heath Ledger there.”
Following the actor’s death, Bale had previously said: “Heath was infectious; his death makes me angry because I know our friendship would have blossomed had he not died.”
In a more recent interview, the American Psycho actor maintained his special praise for the Australian actor’s ‘special’ performance in The Dark Knight.
He said: “Heath Ledger, oh my God what a performance and what a pleasure to have got to work with him and to see how much he put himself into the Joker.
“I was watching him going, ‘This is absolutely fantastic. Are we in trouble here?’
“When Chris [director Christopher Nolan] and I first sat down we said, ‘You know the problem with Batman is that the villains are always more interesting.”
“Batman is actually very close to being a villain himself, so let’s never let him become dull by comparison.
“Unfortunately, I was sitting there going, ‘I feel a little bit dull by comparison’, because Heath is just killing this.
Heath Ledger and Christian Bale in The Dark Knight (Warner Brothers)
“But I’m so proud of that film, I love it.
“The Dark Knight is absolutely extraordinary, and it was such a pleasure to have got to work with Heath.”
Those that knew him will have spoken about his warm personality, but his sensational acting in what remains one of the most popular superhero films of all time, ensures that Heath Ledger will truly never be forgotten.
Featured Image Credit: MTV
Topics: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Batman, Joker, Oscars, Christopher Nolan
James Moorhouse
Heath Ledger made prediction about The Dark Knight before he passed away that came true
Ledger died from an accidental overdose while The Dark Knight was in the final stages of production
Heath Ledger made a bold prediction about how The Dark Knight would be received before he passed away, Andrew Garfield says.
The late actor died at the age of 28 after accidentally overdosing on prescription painkillers while the movie was in the final stages of production.
Just over 12 months after his death on 22 January 2008, Ledger was awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor posthumously for his iconic portrayal of the Joker.
