Cool as heath

Five years after the death of renowned Australian actor Heath Ledger, friends and family have joined to pay tribute to the man known to the world as the evil Joker with a T-shirt honouring him as a laidback skateboarder with a touch of the daredevil.

Ledger died at the age of 28 from an accidental overdose in January, 2008. He was subsequently awarded a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker in the Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight.

The T-shirt features a photograph of a faintly smiling Ledger posing with a skateboard by the Los Angeles River. It was taken in 2004, the year he was filming the hit Brokeback Mountain.

“Heath loved skateboarding and wanted to do a shoot he enjoyed”, said Ben Watts, the older brother of actress Naomi Watts and a New York-based photographer.

“(It was) a really enjoyable day and definitely one to remember. At one stage we were towing him with a car going like 40 miles per hour (64 kilometres per hour) through the L.A. river, it was amazing”, Watts said.

The T-shirt, which is being sold for charity, was a collaboration between Watts and Ledger’s designer sister Elana Rosa to commemorate the star’s well-known love of T-shirts.

“He actually had his own shirt line so I am sure he would be psyched to have a pic of him on a great day skateboarding, remembering who he was,” Watts added.

Proceeds from sales of the shirt will benefit Heath Ledger’s favourite charities, including a scholarship fund in his name.