Heath Ledger made a video. In 2007 he directed and starred in a music video for "Black Eyed Dog", a song by the late British folk singer Nick Drake's. Heath made the video as a tribute for the artist that was very much admired by him. The Nine Network gained exclusive rights to the video, which has only been shown in public twice and shows "disorienting" and "eerie" images that include Ledger drowning himself in the final scene.

In the early hours of 25 November 1974, Nick Drake died at home in Far Leys from an overdose of amitriptyline, a type of antidepressant. He had gone to bed early the night before, after spending the afternoon visiting a friend. Black Eyed Dog is allegedly the last song Drake wrote before overdosing on the anti-depressant amitriptyline. He was 26-years-old when he died, but failed to reach a wide audience until long after his death.

Ledger was rumoured to have been planning to make a film biography of Drake.


This coincidence is really bizarre, because it seems that Heath admired this singer, and do you really think that was an influence?

I think that Ledger was a talented actor. To assume this video was somehow a "cry out" is a big mistake. With that said, he did spend 2 years writing a biopic about Nick Drake and it's possible delving deeply into the drake's mindstate (along with the joker role and several other projects) lead to his trouble sleeping (too much crap on his mind).



Publication date: 28 February 2008   

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