"Dark Knight"'s Joker Heath Ledger dead at 28

Actor Heath Ledger, 28, set to appear as the Joker in this summer's The Dark Knight, was found dead in his apartment in New York City today. The death appears to be drug-related, though whether it was a suicide has not yet been determined.

From his obituary from AP:

And in what may be his final finished performance, Ledger proved that he wouldn't be intimidated by taking on a character as iconic as Jack Nicholson's Joker. Ledger's version of the Batman villain, glimpsed in early teaser trailers, made it clear that his Joker would be more depraved and dark.
Curiosity about Ledger's final performance will likely stoke further interest in the summer blockbuster. Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan said earlier this month that Ledger's Joker would be wildly different from Nicholson's.
"It was a very great challenge for Heath," Nolan said. "He's extremely original, extremely frightening, tremendously edgy. A very young character, a very anarchic presence that taps into a lot of our basic fears and panic."

Farewell to a talented young actor.