It just came over the wire that Heath Ledger of "Brokeback Mountain" and the Joker for the upcoming Batman movie has been found dead. Police are already hinting that drugs may be a factor. (Within a couple of hours, the hinting pointed more toward a possible suicide.)
I don't know much about Ledger. When I first heard the name, I had trouble placing it. I said, "Isn't that one of the 'Dead Poets' actors?" (I might have been thinking of Ethan Hawke. How I got there, I don't know.)
There may be more to his death than this, but it occurs to me that fame is a health risk, like smoking, drinking excessively or working in a building with asbestos insulation. Life expectancy of the famous can be shorter than for the nonfamous.
Consider the self-destructive lives of Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Yes, they have trouble with substance abuse, but the real problem may not be narcotics or alcohol. For them - and for many in the public eye - fame itself is the drug, the substance that they abuse.
If a friend of mine were to become famous, I would add a note of caution to my congratulations. It may be fun to enjoy that ride for a few moments, like riding a roller coaster. But if you seek a complete life, you need to get off that ride.
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