died-young
Renfro? Really? Him?

Has Brad Renfro received an upgrade in the legacy department? The troubled actor, who never quite lived up to his perpetual “rising star” status, has suddenly been thrust into the upper echelon Died-Young category, joining the likes of River Phoenix, Tupac, and Janis Joplin, and it all seems to be thanks to Heath Ledger. You see, with the tragic news of the actor’s passing, media outlets have been compiling lists of major, iconic stars who have died before thirty, and while Ledger certainly deserves a spot on that list, Renfro’s inclusion seems dubious. Clearly, he benefited from editors’ guilt. After all, how could they not include him when he died just days ago? Still, I’m not sure that his death, while sad, rocked the world the way, say, Jim Morrison’s did. So enjoy the upgrade now, Ghost of Renfro, because it won’t be long before the editors slowly weed you off the list (cough, Jonathan Brandis, cough).
Am I a bastard?
• Gone Before 30: Stars Who Died Young [ABC News]

6 replies on “The Heath Effect”

  1. If you’re a bastard, B-Side, so am I (well, I’m a girl, but you get my drift), because I was thinking that too. Though it was tragic about Brad Renfro, it was also easy to say, “I saw that coming,” in light of his many arrests for drug possession, etc.
    And yeah, he WAS very promising as a kid, but never did much of merit and had been out of the spotlight for several years (at least, that’s what it seemed like).
    Part of the tragedy of Heath is that his career was on the rise, he’d played at least one iconic role (Ennis Del Mar), and had just finished playing another one (the Joker). In addition, he seemed to be making good decisions career-wise, and never really sought the spotlight outside of films.
    Anyway, that’s my two cents. Love your blog!

  2. You are entitled to your thoughts. But I think it and you suck, u have no respect for this guy or for the dead. If you ever read his story. The guy had hard times from the time he was born. He did very well, to have the parents he did. Thank God for his grandmother. He had problems, how many famous people dont. Shoot how many people in general dont have problems. He was a actor and he died. He needs to be up there. I didnt like Kurt’s music but I still give him the respect he deserves.
    I liked the movies I seen him in. Its a shame he didnt get the help he needed, but then again people like u in the world, wouldnt of even spit on him to put him out if he was on fire.
    I hope and pray his family and friends that love him dont come across this artical. PEACE

Comments are closed.