I guess it's not news anymore. Heath is dead. The magazine covers are out, the obituaries written, the autopsy report is on its way, and the YouTube tributes are a flowin'. Even Daniel Day Lewis already dedicated his SAG award to the man. I meant to write this post earlier. But I kept giving myself excuses: "It's my birthday," "First, I need to watch I'm Not There. Then I need to rent Candy…"

And the more I put it off, the more I knew that there's nothing that I can really say that you don't already know or feel. What's gotten to me most, though, is how much his death has struck a cord online. I don't remember ever seeing a collective grief ever expressed quite so - with the gossip rags and elite newspapers weighing in, video memorials, Facebook fansite pages, and comments (oh, how many comments!) on anything that is even remotely related to Heath Ledger. I guess online we're allowed to wallow, get sappy, and lament in the privacy of our very public lives online.

So, a second before Heath officially becomes an icon and we lose all sense of proportion, I'll put forth my little tribute, and share a few of my faves from his past, present, and not too distant future.

The Past: Lords of Dogtown. A truly underappreciated classic. This film (along with Monster's Ball) is one of the first movies that I really started to notice Heath; his rooftap party scene rant is an all time fave. An early Emile Hirsch is amazing here as well.

The Present: I'm Not There. An amazing and eerily prescient performance. Alon hated this movie, but admitted that the only Bob Dylan could relate to was Heath's. I can't wait to see it again.

The Future: Batman – The Dark Knight. Let's hope this isn't the movie that killed him. It already looks like a legendary performance.