Hot, sexy, and dead. Jim Morrison? No — Heath Ledger.

Ledger has been dead nearly three months, and his career is hotter than ever. He’s generating buzz through a successful viral marketing campaign for his role as the Joker in the forthcoming Dark Night. And he just can’t stay out off the cover of entertainment magazines, as witnessed by his latest appearance on the cover of the April 14 People.

As an actor, Ledger lacked the resume of Roy Scheider, whose death on February 10 merited nothing more than a few respecful nods of appreciation. As a star, he was nowhere near the level that Will Smith is. So why in death is he bigger than he ever was in life? Let’s break down the reasons:

He died unexpectedly. It’s a common misconception that the news media favor negative news. No, they like the unexpected, both good and bad. And certainly Heath Ledger’s death at age 28 qualified. By contrast. most newspaper writers probably had Roy Scheider’s obit ready before he died at age 75.

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Hot, sexy, and dead. Jim Morrison? No — Heath Ledger.

Ledger has been dead nearly three months, and his career is hotter than ever. He’s generating buzz through a successful viral marketing campaign for his role as the Joker in the forthcoming Dark Night. And he just can’t stay out off the cover of entertainment magazines, as witnessed by his latest appearance on the cover of the April 14 People.

As an actor, Ledger lacked the resume of Roy Scheider, whose death on February 10 merited nothing more than a few respecful nods of appreciation. As a star, he was nowhere near the level that Will Smith is. So why in death is he bigger than he ever was in life? Let’s break down the reasons:

He died unexpectedly. It’s a common misconception that the news media favor negative news. No, they like the unexpected, both good and bad. And certainly Heath Ledger’s death at age 28 qualified. By contrast. most newspaper writers probably had Roy Scheider’s obit ready before he died at age 75.

Continue reading →