Heath Ledger slated to play the Joker in “The Dark Knight” - photo A.P.

“A Place To Be”, the video shot and edited by Heath Ledger, depicting Ledger drowning himself, in a tribute to Nick Drake, will not be released to the general public. This announcement comes straight from his estate, and those in possession of the video. At a time like this, my thoughts go to his family, and daughter, and his brilliant career. 28 is too early to lose a gifted actor and artist, who was well respected by his peers and the general public.

Ledger was perhaps recently best known for his Oscar nominated role in “Brokeback Mountain,” where he played the part of a cowboy, with co-star Jake Gyllenhaal, in which the characters had a secret romantic relationship.

From CNN.com
“I felt that choices were being made for me, so I feel this has been my time now to find the good stories and test myself,” Ledger told the Glasgow Herald in the 2005 interview. “It has been an interesting year, where I finally have a sense of accomplishment.”

Asked how he felt about filming love scenes with another man, Ledger said he and his co-star Gyllenhaal simply focused on their roles.

“We can’t say that we weren’t nervous about it,” Ledger told Oprah Winfrey in 2006. “But once the first take was over, it’s like, ‘OK. So what? It’s kissing another human being. How are we going to finish this scene? Let’s get on with it and let’s get out of here.’ ”

In a written statement, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said it mourns Ledger’s death, adding that his portrayal of Del Mar “changed hearts and minds in immeasurable ways.”

Ledger’s Eerie Drake Video Foreshadowed Death

January 22, 2008, 8:30 PM ET
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
The fate of an eerie video of actor Heath Ledger “drowning” himself, set to a song from late singer/songwriter Nick Drake, is now being mulled by the estate of Drake, who committed suicide in 1974.

Ledger was found dead today (Jan. 22) in a New York apartment, with prescription sleeping pills nearby. An autopsy will be performed tomorrow to determine the cause of death.

The black and white Drake clip, which Ledger shot and edited himself, was included in a multi-media installation, “A Place To Be,” devoted to Drake last summer at Seattle’s Bumbershoot festival. It was also on display during a Drake celebration of the same name in Los Angeles in October.

In it, Ledger turns the camera on himself while Drake’s “Black Eyed Dog” plays. At its conclusion, he drowns himself in a bathtub. “Black Eyed Dog” is allegedly the last song Drake wrote before overdosing on the antidepressant amitriptyline.

Sources confirm the video is the property of the Drake estate, which is deciding whether it will release it in any form.

Nick Drake - Peel Sessions

Nick Drake - Black Eyed Dog

Buy Nick Drake - A Way to Blue on Amazon.com