Hey Everyone. I'm Dani Jones, I've been posting here and there on Heath Ledger boards for years now. Special hello to the beautiful Phyllis!! You've done amazing things with this site. I'm sorry I haven't been in touch for a while but when I first heard the tragic news I can honestly say you were the second person I thought of, after Matilda.

I haven't been able to bring myself to post since Heath's passing. I still miss him and think of him everyday. I've just started to be able to see his photo and not cry, to watch his movies without feeling sick to my stomach but i still cannot hear him speak without being overwhelmed with sorrow. I miss his passion most of all.

When I heard the news I was obviously shocked, then heartbroken as I'm sure all of us were. I was on a holiday and I sat in my room crying for 3 days...then I wrote this and it made me feel a little better. It was pretty raw emotion so please excuse poor grammar and wording at times, i didn't feel like it should be altered.


"A Goodbye."


She wept. But it wasn't for the Perth boy turned millionaire actor as the magazines were quick to define him. And it wasn't for that gay cowboy for which he'd mostly be remembered. It wasn't for anyone anybody else knew. It was simply for him. She wept for her knowledge that the world was now somehow darker, a dimmer place. One of it's brightest lights no longer shone. She hurt because the man she saw so much truth in no longer had the opportunity to make others believe. The person who embodied every aspect she so desperately wanted to discover in herself, he was gone. His fiery, unwaivering passion, his pursuit of his dreams, his convictions, his continual quest to be a better person, for a better world, THAT spirit - was gone.

He is dead. So absolute. So uncompromising.

With him he has taken his dreams. Perhaps with him some of her innocence. The shear and inspiring delight she felt as a young girl from his simple smile as 'Patrick Verona' was now too dead. And it hurt.

No longer can she feel the excitement of going to movies to see his latest work. No longer can she be nervous when she reads of his newest role and then shockingly impressed when she sees him in it. She can't smile when he gains the accolades he deserves because she has taken his journey with him from the beginning. No longer.

For now that magic he left behind in his work will only sadden her. That passion that seeps through the screen will only cause her a heavy heart because that passion is no longer.

For now she will have to take refuge in the fact that he will be remembered. That he will live on, through his work and friends and family. Through his beautiful daughter who tragically won't ever know what a brilliant man her father was. They will tell her. She will know how much her dad loved her. Hopefully she will inherit his spirit and passion. His exuberance or life. He will be remembered. Maybe that was the only thing that could stop the weeping girl from hurting. Some will remember him as the actor who took some risks, became his characters. Others will just remember that Aussie actor who died 'suspiciously'. But to the girl that wept he would ALWAYS be remembered as the man that made her believe in things a little more, who inspired her to follow her heart. The man that convinced her of her convictions and allowed her to be just herself, and to settle for nothing less.

He may be to her a stranger, in that they haven't met, but she knew this man. He, Heath Ledger, will be missed. And she wept still.



As I look back on it now I think it had more to do with me accepting that he was gone. I still struggle to believe it sometimes. Thanks for letting me share. xox

That was so moving. I'm glad you're here and I'm thankful you chose to share that with us. He was so extrordinary and touched so many...you describe him beautifully.

Thanks so much for sharing this with us, Dani. It is beautiful.

THANK YOU SO mucheto share with us your work, I know whAT you have felt, but let me tell you that writing in this board can help you to heal your pain a bit more..

Oh Dani!!! Thanks so much for coming over.
I've missed you and thought of you often. I figured we both just got busy. You should be in college now, and to be honest, so am I . . . AGAIN! Heath is pushing me so much more now than he ever did when he was here. . . . I still miss him daily and still mourn. The day after he passed, I would not have been capable of writing anything. I did not eat, sleep or drink anything for over a week . . .

Thanks for writing your tribute. You are extremely eloquent.

I don't know if you were writing about you . . . or me.

Dani, you said it perfectly. I don't think one necessarily had to know him in person to know him...

Thanks for sharing your beautiful, heartfelt words.

Dani,
Documenting raw emotion is healthy. Sharing what you felt/wrote is healing - priceless!
Linda

It is very beautiful and so moving! There are no better words that could have been expressed in such a lovely way, Dani! It is a touching poem for this special man who has touched our hearts so incredibly and amazingly!

Thank you so much for sharing your poem. It is beautiful. It spoke to my heart.

Thank you all for your lovely comments and support. Greatly appreciated. It feels great to finally share it with people, especially those who share the emotion.

Phyllis, I've missed you heaps!! I'm so happy for you, I've read your little notes on msn at times and tried to keep up with your life a bit, sounds like you've been a very busy girl!! What are you studying? It's fantastic, it truly is. I'm very proud of you for all you've achieved!!

Thanks, Dani.

I'm studying commercial photography. It's very stressful and very difficult. I find myself wishing I'd sit down at the computer and have a note from Heath, so I could ask his advice . . . Everything is so much harder without him on this earth. At least for me. . .

I'm glad you are a member here now.
LOL it never occurred to me that you were paying attention to my little msn notes. LOL