Michael Jackson's not the only fallen star with a posthumous project out this week. (Just the only one competing against unrealistically high expectations.)
Just a few months after Modest Mouse released Heath Ledger's music video directorial debut, his directorial finale made its way online this week, courtesy of London rapper and Ledger childhood friend No Fixed Abode.
According to the rapper, the Oscar winner filmed the three-and-a-half minute opus in his garage in Sydney in the months before his death in January 2008. The video, which features some slightly Joker-esque makeup, was also included in a tribute to Ledger shown during the Rome Film Festival earlier this month.
"The idea was to keep it very artistic, which is what we did," the rapper, who also goes by N'fa, said. "Heath directed really well…and I know that Heath was happy with the work.
"Everyday I count my blessings that I got to have him direct this piece of art. It was a song I was proud to have written, but I never expected to have such an immense video made for it. I'd known Heath since we were very young, and he was always a creative kind of guy and, in many ways, ahead of the curve. When he had the idea about doing this video, I had no question about it.
"Thank you very much Heath for all your help, I wish you were here."
Meanwhile, Ledger's final film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, will open in limited release on Dec. 25.
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Think you have what it takes to fill Heath Ledger's shoes? Head over to the Awful Truth to find out how. (Hint: It helps if you're an Aussie. And talented.)