What's In A Number?

Well, here we are in 2008.
Arbitrary number used to designate a point in time.
January 22nd, 2008.
In one month I will be 40.Arbitrary number used to designate the duration of my existence thus far.
And today marks the end of the duration of Heath Ledger's life, a short 28 years.
I really valued him as an actor. I looked forward to each movie featuring his amazing talent. How odd that he isn't around now to see the outcome of his turn as The Joker in Christopher Nolan's much anticipated Batman installment,The Dark Knight.
I found his roles in both Casanova and Brokeback Mountain not only powerful, moving, and deep, but entirely unique. No one else could have or would have played those characters with that level of sensitivity,nuance,and attention.
Heath Ledger had something inexplicably unique in his onscreen presence: an odd combination of vulnerability and assuredness that stood out so strongly in all of his roles.
What he might have gone on to achieve as an actor is now left to our imaginations,but I'm sure he'd have been one of the best actors in the history of the craft.
I wonder what Terry Gilliam's movie, Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus,starring Heath Ledger, will be like, after the final cut.
I haven't seen I'm Not There, yet, as I'm not interested in Bob Dylan,and never have been. But now, now that Heath has passed, I must see it, as he is in it.

Heath Ledger.
Amazing Actor.
Born in Australia in 1979. Died in 2008.
Why?
They say he was found dead in his New York City apartment,with pills, supposedly over the counter sleeping pills, spilled out around him.
Why?
Why did he take enough to kill himself? Was it an accident?
Did he take his own life on purpose?
What were his last thoughts?
Did he intend to die? If so, why?
If not, how can we make sense of such a horrible overdose accident?
Shouldn't the pharmaceutical companies responsible for manufacturing, marketing,and distributing these lethal drugs be reigned in and forced to make safer drugs? Is there such a thing as safer drugs?
How can someone go buy over the counter sleeping pills, take too many, and die, without some sort of outcry?
It shouldn't be that easy to overdose on them.
Did Heath Ledger have other drugs in his system?

It's so difficult to understand and accept his death.
I kept looking at the announcement, that I first saw at 2:10 pm PST on justjared.com at http://justjared.buzznet.com/tags/heath-ledger

I kept staring at the words, Heath Ledger dead at 28. What does that mean? I thought,is this a joke!? Is this part of his Joker role? I refreshed the page, expecting the news to change.
No.
And then, my Variety.com page updated, displaying the words on the front page:
"Heath Ledger Dead at 28."

Why does it just say dead at 28.
That's so... odd and disorienting.

How about "Amazingly gifted actor, Heath Ledger, tragically dies of possible drug overdose".



Yeah. Like that.

So, he lived for twenty eight years, and apparently all the news services think that is the most important information to display in the announcement of his death.

He was an amazing actor.
I wanted to see him in more roles. I was looking forward to see how his career would unfold.
Like River Phoenix, Heath Ledger's death is a horrible, inexplicible tragedy. It's so sad.
I'm sorry for his friends and family.
I'm sorry for his daughter that won't know her father.
I'm sorry for the art that he won't make.
I'm sorry that his potential won't be realized.
What a waste
Why?

Why did Heath Ledger die?

I'll be 40 in a month.
It's 2008, a time when I thought that major changes would occur in the world. Why have I always felt 2008 signified something for this world? What does turning 40 mean? Why did Heath Ledger only live 28 years?

What does it all mean?