Left the office this afternoon to catch up on some sleep after such an early Oscar morning. I woke up a few hours ago and Heath Ledger's shocking death is obviously all over the news. The footage of his covered body being taken out of his apartment pretty much made it real. And the sight of his stoic parents reading a statement from Australia was quite moving.

I saw Heath at all the awards shows during the year of "Brokeback Mountain" when he was nominated for best actor but we never spoke. I did interview Michelle Williams on Oscar nomination morning two years ago and she told me how excited they were to be nominated.
So why is his death hitting so many of us so hard? It's his youth, his immense talent and his un-movie star personality. He was an actor who happened to be famous but you sensed that he was an actor first - and a very good one.

For me, I know the reason I feel it in the stomach is because of that portrayal of Ennis in "Brokeback Mountain." He broke my heart in that film and I have said, ever since seeing it, that it was one of the best screen performances of all time. It stayed with you: Ennis' heartbreak, his conflict, and he showed vividly how much love can hurt - love between two men. I know Phillip Seymour Hoffman got the Oscar that year, but Ledger's performance is what will stand the test of time - even more so now that he's gone.

In addition to "Brokeback," I was also deeply moved by Heath's performance in "Monster's Ball" as Billy Bob Thorton's son. It was a small part, but a memorable one. And, of course, who can forget how he burst onto the scene as Mel Gibson's son in "The Patriot" and followed it up with "A Knights Tale." I loved him in "Lords of Dogtown" and he was what saved "The Four Feathers" from being a complete disaster.

I have not seen all of Heath's movies, but have had some DVDs around the house for some time that I now plan to watch: "Casanova," "Brothers Grimm," and "10 Things I Hate About You." I will also watch "I'm Not There" soon in which he is one of the many actors portraying Bob Dylan.

We still have "The Dark Knight," the Batman sequel he completed that will be released this summer but it will never be enough. He was that good at just 28. Imagine what he could have done as the years went on.