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Did the Joker Kill Heath Ledger?

Evidently, playing one of the most psychotic super villains of all times can be a harrowing task and even be a factor in the untimely death of Heath Ledger. The 28-year-old thespian who was found dead in his Soho pad yesterday, was cast as the role of the Joker in the forthcoming blockbuster, The Dark Knight, and discussed the physical and mental strain of getting out of character to the New York Times back in November of last year:

It is a physically and mentally draining role — his Joker is a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy” he said cheerfully — and, as often happens when he throws himself into a part, he is not sleeping much.

“Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,” he said. “I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.” One night he took an Ambien, which failed to work. He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing.