The tragic death of actor Heath Ledger sent shockwaves through Hollywood and the world. It is the kind of tragic event that somehow still feels raw, despite all the years that have passed. For those who had the pleasure of working with the man, the pain of losing him will remain with them forever. As most are already aware, Heath Ledger passed away just after filming for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight had wrapped, and the movie's editor, Lee Smith, has spoken recently about his experience hearing the awful news.

"It was terribly sad. We were about 10 or 12 weeks past the end of the shoot. It's of course incredibly sad when anyone passes away, but he was such a brilliant actor and he brought so much to that role. It was a great loss that he's no longer with us."

Heath Ledger passing away just before audiences got to see his incredible work as Batman arch-enemy the Joker is just one of the reasons why his demise was so painful for so many. No doubt that movie-goers, as well as fans and friends of the actor, will forever wonder what else he would have gone on to accomplish had things turned out differently.

Though filming on the Batman sequel had already been completed at the time of Heath Ledger's death, Smith's work as the movie's editor still needed to be done. This meant that he was the one responsible for putting together the footage for one of the actor's final performances. Smith spoke about his experiences with Ledger behind the scenes, as well as the honor of watching the actor work.

"I saw [Heath] several times during the shoot of The Dark Knight on the set and it was always hugely amusing. Right from the first day of shooting, I was just completely in awe of how far he'd come from doing a low-budget film in Australia to standing there with his back to camera holding onto that mask as he commands the screen. I was sitting in a small trailer on location with Chris Nolan, the cinematographer, and everybody else and we're just all sitting there going, 'Oh, man, this guy's amazing.' Just the way he walks, the way he talks. He brought everything to that role."

The Dark Knight was met with huge critical acclaim upon release, with Heath Ledger's performance highlighted as not only the best in the movie but one of the best of all time. His dedication to the role is evident throughout, with the actor completely disappearing into the Joker. Ultimately Ledger earned a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Lee Smith, too, was nominated for an Oscar for his editing of The Dark Knight.

Heath Ledger died on January 22, 2008, at the age of 28. His death was reportedly due to an accidental prescription drug overdose. His performance as the Joker has gone on to be considered one of the greatest in cinematic history, as well as the quintessential interpretation of the DC comic book character. This comes to us courtesy of WTOP News.