Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ alleged suicide attempt

The Irish star was found collapsed due to a pill overdose.

ISLAMABAD:

On January 22, 2008, Australian actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment, overdosed on pills. Almost a year later in 2009, Michael Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest as a result of acute intoxication by propofol - a drug used to induce anesthesia and sedation -and thus also checked out, permanently. Later the same year Brittany Murphy was pronounced dead, after suffering from cardiac arrest caused by a cocktail of various over-the-counter drugs. These were sad years for Tinsel town.

Cases of drug overdose by celebrities have evinced a dark truth: drugs, alcohol, and depression make for lethal bedfellows in Hollywood. It shows that the charmed life of young actors is a misleading notion; under all that glitz and glam, many struggle with the demands of publicity, often turning to unadulterated intoxication as a release from the pressures of working in LA’s ‘dog-eat-dog’ world of film.

Hollywood nearly experienced another pill-induced loss on June 28, when Jonathan Rhys Meyers was rushed to the hospital after his purported attempt to join the ranks of his fallen predecessors. Paramedics answering a 999 call found him slumped on the floor, according to a report by tabloid newspaper The Sun.

The 33-year-old heart throb, who currently plays the brooding Henry VIII in Showtime’s racy period drama “Tudors” and has also starred in prominent movies like Match Point, Bend it like Beckham, and Velvet Goldmine has a history of alcohol abuse. Just recently in 2010 he enterd a rehab clinic after making it on ‘No Fly List’ of United Airlines since he was too drunk to function at JFK airport.

The 33-year-old was released the following morning on June 29 from the Central London hospital, revealed E-News. Those currently close to the actor are questioning the veracity of the possibility that the actor actually tried to take his life. Celebrity news website TMZ cited a source from the actor’s inner circle, claiming that Ledger was inebriated but had no intention of taking his life.

Still, many doubt the efficacy of this statement and instead believe that Meyers’ grip on the will to live is tenuous at best. The fact that he was disturbed in his intoxicated state was corroborated when Scotland Yard gave a statement London Ambulance Service that had to call officers following reports of a man refusing treatment. Again, the fact that Meyers refused treatment for over half an hour indicates a serious problem. It has not yet been confirmed whether the actor will be undergoing serious therapy for his alcohol and pill fueled suicide attempt.

Sources have also left the matter of the 999 emergency phone call unexplained. Several questions remains: Who called? Was Rhys Meyers found by someone else or did he call for ambulatory services himself? Actors have pulled worse celebrity stunts before- so was this orchestrated to get more attention from tabloids?

Speculation aside, the facts speak for themselves: Rhys Meyers’ drinking problem coupled with his five trips to rehab goes to show that the actor has a lot of demons to deal with. Furthermore, his career wasn’t exactly down in the dumps either; he has recently wrapped up the fourth and final season of “Tudors” in 2010. Also a big fashion name, Meyers has been the face of Hugo Boss men’s fragrance range since 2005 and was also chosen as the official face of the Versace men’s autumn/winter 2006 and spring 2007 collections. Again, it seems that the actor’s troubles don’t stem from his career.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2011.