‘He was very gentle and didn’t want to hurt a creature.’ Too Young to Die s1e1: Heath Ledger, father, Sky Arts 2020
By his mid-twenties Heath Ledger had established himself in Hollywood as one of the best actors of his generation. He was an actor who’d never sought stardom, who tried to preserve his naturalness in the spotlight. The news of his sudden death therefore came as all the more as a shock: he died on 22nd January 2008 as a result between prescription drugs that he’d taken in the wrong combination. Heath Ledger was 28 years old. ibid.
The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus (2000) director Terry Gilliam … ‘The are forever young. They are gods.’ ibid.
Heath’s Ledger’s estate is currently being cataloged for an exhibition in the Western Australian museum. ibid.
Rome 4th March 1994: One of the world’s greatest rock-stars has tried to kill himself: Kurt Cobain. His wife, Courtney Love, gives the paparazzi the finger as she rushes to the hospital. News agencies prematurely announce his death. Too Young to Die s1e2: Kurt Cobain
The hero of a whole generation: the instigator of Grunge. ibid.
MTV Unplugged, recorded in 1993, was an artistic high point for Nirvana. ibid.
Aberdeen in the mid-80s: the town was in decline. Kurt Cobain was 17, had dropped out of various schools, and was picked up from time to time by the police for graffiti spraying. He was living from hand to mouth and was surviving on casual jobs. ibid.
‘Another myth is that people think Nirvana were an overnight success.’ ibid. biographer
‘You know John I don’t think he ever slept.’ Too Young to Die s1e3: John Belushi, friend
‘He always played at the top of his skill, at the top of his ingenuity, at the top of his personality.’ ibid.
He made just seven films but they immortalised him. ibid.
Belushi was arrogant and quick-tempered, funny and dramatic, insecure and beset by doubt. ibid.
An early death that was inevitable? John Belushi died in 1982 of a mixture of cocaine and heroin. ibid.
‘Absolutely brilliant parody of Joe Cocker.’ ibid. friend
Saturday Night Live: In four seasons of the show John played well over fifty characters and improvisations. ibid.
Animal House became the most successful comedy of all time. ibid.
For Saturday Night Live he [Belushi] had devised the Blues Brothers – their records sold millions: The Blues Brothers: a musical with crazy car chases. The film cost $27 million … A triumphant return for John. But shooting was overshadowed by Belushi’s alcohol and drug excesses. ibid.
Shot, stabbed, massacred: In the months it took place to find the murderers, fear and panic spread. Four members of the so-called Manson Family were arrested, convicted and sentenced. Driven into a homicidal frenzy by the crude apocalyptic visions of their guru Charles Manson, they had committed this appalling crime and others. Too Young to Die s1e4: Sharon Tate
Charles Manson became an evil icon of the twentieth century. The man with a long criminal record who could hardly read or write and who saw himself as Jesus and Satan in one person still has followers today. ibid.
London had a new celebrity romance … The couple [Tate & Polanski] were a sensation … They ignored conventions and enjoyed life. ibid.
Sharon’s next roll earned her a Golden Globe nomination: Valley of the Dolls. ibid.
The 13 Chairs was a highly promising comedy to be filmed in London and in Rome. ibid.
She was set on having the baby at home. ibid. director
Early morning on 29 November 1981: Actress Natalie Wood was found dead today. Her body was discovered fully clothed in the waters off Catalina Island. Too Young to Die s2e1: Natalie Wood
It was the death of an actress who even as a little girl had given the term ‘child star’ a new meaning. ibid.
The death of Natalie Wood is one of Hollywood’s great mysteries. ibid.
‘God created my daughter. But I made her.’ ibid. mother
Natalie took refuge in a dream world. She fell for a handsome film actor eight years her senior: Robert Wagner. ibid.
In those years Natalie Wood belonged to everyone … except herself. ibid.
Natalie was nominated for an Oscar and signed an exclusive contract with Warner Brothers. ibid.
Hollywood loved Natalie and Natalie loved her life as an actress. ibid.
The two led a life in the public spotlight. ibid.
Who was River Phoenix? … the reluctant star. River grew up with four siblings … David Berg was the founder of a Christian sect known as the Children of God. John and Arlyn were sent by the sect to Venezuela. Too Young to Die s2e3: River Phoenix
The talented River was soon getting work … Stand By Me made River Phoenix a star … He was repeatedly voted the world’s favourite TV star. ibid.
Running on Empty made River Phoenix the most promising star of his generation. ibid.
River Phoenix won the Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival. As an actor he had scaled the heights. ibid.
Dark Blood was River’s last film, shot in the mountains of Utah. ibid.
On 31st October 1993 River Phoenix died of a mixture of heroin and cocaine. ibid.
Judy Garland was born Frances Gumm in 1922. Her life was marked by triumphs and tragedies. She was a Hollywood star, a goddess on stage, and the most famous drug addict of her day. Too Young to Die s3e1: Judy Garland
‘The Wizard of Oz has been seen by more people than any other movie in history.’ ibid. biographer
‘She needed to take off weight and they did that with pills. It was some kind of speed that she took.’ ibid. personal assistant
Within fifteen years Judy Garland made over thirty films. She was the most commercially successful star of her time. ibid.
On 22nd June 1969 Judy Garland died in London of an overdose of tablets. She was 47 years old. Her body was flown to New York for the funeral. ibid.
He was a star who didn’t want to be, certainly not one from Hollywood. He wanted to be an actor pure and simple: an actor from New York. Philip Seymour Hoffman refused to be typecast. He seemed to fit every film perfectly. Too Young to Die s3e3: Philip Seymour Hoffman
‘A truly kind wonderful man and one of our greatest actors – ever.’ ibid. Mia Farrow tweet
The news of Philip Hoffman’s death in February 2014 hit an exceptional number of people exceptionally hard. ibid.
‘The greatest character actor of his generation.’ ibid. Jack Garner, film critic
He demonstrated his versatility in over fifty films; he was nominated for an Oscar four times, and was awarded one. He appeared in the theatre on Broadway and off of Broadway and was regarded as one of the top stage actors. ibid.
He was found dead in his apartment from an overdose of heroin. ibid.
He blurred the boundaries between Fiction and Reality. He made only one single Hollywood film and yet he revolutionised the action-film genre. A martial artist whose principle asset was his body. He braved prejudice and racism, and made it from Chinese underdog to the first Asiatic world star. When he died in 1973 at the age of 32, millions of people around the world mourned the passing of Bruce Lee, the star and the man. Too Young to Die s3e4: Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee and his legacy are now part of our culture. ibid.
All of these people credit Karen as a pioneer … They would describe her are looking like the winner of a baking contest. Too Young to Die s4e1: Karen Carpenter, biographer, Sky Arts 2022
Karen Carpenter was born in New Haven Connecticut in 1950, three years after her brother Richard. ibid.
1970: The Carpenters had made it right to the top. ibid.
It’s lonely at the top: Karen struggled with her eating disorder and Richard had problems too: he went into rehab for his prescription drug addiction. ibid.
Karen had therapy sessions five days a week for months on end. ibid.
Bradford has the youngest population of any city in the UK. 28.3% of its population is under 18. Bradford on Duty III: The Next Generation
Anti-social behaviour is a real blot on the landscape for us. ibid. council big wig
Britain’s young carers: the terrible burden being placed on the most vulnerable. The new figures the reveal the shocking scale of the pressure on young people. Tonight: Young Carers: A Hidden Crisis, ITV 2023
Children in their thousands are spending the evening caring for those they love. It’s been described as a hidden crisis. ibid.