Heath was an extraordinary actor. If you've seen his body of work, everything from 10 Things I Hate About You to Monster's Ball to A Knight's Tale, you know that his tastes in roles were eclectic and his performance, heartfelt. Heath was his role for the time he performed it. All eighteen of his films here in America atest to this. And I could go on for hours about his amazing performance as Ennis del Mar in Brokeback Mountain, a role that many 'straight' actors would have balked at, but in which I personally think was his strongest and most beautiful performance. Especially in that I spent the whole film wanting to either snuggle him and tell him that it was all going to be alright or beat him in the head for being so stupid. It was the believability he brought to that role that finally made people stand up and acknowledge him.
Heath, you were a star on the rise with a bright future, plucked from the sky far too soon. Who knows what more you could have brought to our lives? Know that you are missed and loved by the many fans that mourn you and the many more that The Dark Knight will bring.
Rest in peace, sweetheart. You've earned it.