When and why did the dopehead Heath Ledger acquire the Mantle of Unmockability?

On his radio show yesterday, Fox News host John Gibson responded to ThinkProgress’ criticism of his comments mocking the death of Heath Ledger, saying that it was just “a little Brokeback Mountain joke” and there is “no point in passing up a good joke.”

Without offering any sort of apology, Gibson defended his callous comments by claiming that “for months and months and months,” his show has consistently made fun of the line, “I wish I knew how to quit you” from Brokeback Mountain. “I’m not giving that up,” exclaimed Gibson:

I’ve been driving back and forth to Laredo for the last few days, and for most of that, the radio is on, and I have to hear, on the hour and half-hour, news reports about the latest details of this jackass’ self-imolation. For two freaking days, for 10 hours of driving — that’s 20 GDMFSOBing news reports about the pill-popping dumbass.

That right there is what’s wrong with America — the idea that such a thing is news. How many other dopeheads, all across America, died on Tuesday of an overdose? Or in a wreck caused by their drunkenness? I don’t know, because I didn’t hear about any others…just this schmuck. Like all decent people, I mourn every untimely death, but just because the dude could recite lines, had some good looks, and made enough money to indulge his habit out of sight of the rest of the world doesn’t shield him from mockery. C’mon now, people.

Wonder what the reaction from the Grief Machine would have been if he’d died in a gun accident?