From Crane Collapses to Politics as Unusual: 2008 in Review

Heath Ledger Found Dead, January 22: On a Tuesday afternoon, the NYPD announced that actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his Soho apartment. His housekeeper found him, to tell him the masseuse arrived for a scheduled appointment. Fellow actor Mary-Kate Olsen was briefly part of the fodder, because the masseuse called her before calling 911 and the starlet allegedly sent her bodyguard to the apartment (the NYPD said MKO was not wanted in questioning). Eventually, the medical examiner's office determined Ledger died of an accidental overdose after taking a combination of prescription drugs. Later in the year, Ledger won acclaim with his scene-stealing turn as the Joker in summer blockbuster The Dark Knight and earned a posthumous Golden Globe nomination for the role. (Photograph of flowers outside Heath Ledger's Soho apartment by Jen Chung)