Editor's Note 18: An Unplanned Farewell

This is not the space for an obituary.

Usually Sandbox and Editor's Note are spots for random humor and my musings, respectively. However, sometimes things happen that make you pause and drop your silliness guard for a little bit. This past week has seen the death of two film celebrities, both on opposite ends of their career.

Very few people remember the name Brad Renfro. I first remember seeing Renfro as Huck Finn in the 1995 Disney flick Tom and Huck-we watched it in my English class. Much like his character, Renfro led a troubled, unsettling life. As a teenager he was arrested for drug possession and trying to steal a yacht-celebrity crimes are always more surreal-and just two years ago he got in trouble for driving under the influence and trying to buy heroin. Although the cause of death has yet to be determined, it is not hard to imagine that this lifestyle led to his young death at 25 years old.

Even though his death came as a surprise to many, it was not necessarily a shock. Renfro's unused talent-which, from watching Apt Pupil and Ghost World is clearly there-combined with the tribulations of being a child actor led to a cycle that was most certainly directed toward destruction.

Though Renfro's death went unnoticed by most, Oscar-nominated actor Heath Ledger's passing caused a collective gasp across the entertainment world. By 6:00 p.m. on Jan. 22 I had been texted three times, called twice and stopped on campus and informed five times that the Aussie actor had been found dead.

As of Wednesday evening the cause of death is inconclusive, with further tissue studies neededing to be conducted. Police reports indicate that sleeping pills were found next to Ledger's body, but the cause or the reason is still in the air.

The actor was well loved for his various movie roles by many different groups. Girls loved the hunk (10 Things I Hate About You). Guys were stoked about the Joker (The Dark Night). Even the gay community adored Ledger (Brokeback Mountain).

Celebrity mourning is one of the strangest parts of pop culture. 99 percent of the people who will be mourning Ledger will have never met him and yet their sadness is as genuine and heartfelt as possible. Certain celebrities have the ability to profoundly affect people with their roles, even if they weren't necessarily heavy or "deep." When celebrities or any talented individuals die so young it cuts the entertainment world deep and the loss of Ledger is a wound that will not heal for a while.