Entertainment | Heath Ledger The Roles They Left Behind Here's a list of stars whose movies outlasted them By Nick McMaster Posted Jul 18, 2008 4:50 PM CDT Copied In this image provided by Fox Searchlight films, actress Keri Russell, left, writer and director Adrienne Shelly, center, and Cheryl Hines on the set of "Waitress". (AP Photo/Fox Searchlight, Alan Markfield) Heath Ledger's posthumous appearance in The Dark Knight prompts Radar to muse on stars whose films debuted after they died, prompting critics to wonder what could have been—or to hold their tongues. Brad Renfro, The Informers. A onetime child star known for run-ins with the law, Renfro completed filming for the Bret Easton Ellis adaption a month before he overdosed on heroin. Adrienne Shelley, Waitress. The success of Shelley's directing debut followed her murder. Brandon Lee, The Crow. Lee's accidental death during a scene in which his character gets shot bestowed an otherworldly quality on this visually arresting revenge film. Aaliyah, Queen of the Damned. Though the film was trashy, most critics went easy on the singer, who died in a plane crash. Read These Next The Wall Street Journal is naming more names tied to Epstein. Trump isn't talking about a Ghislaine Maxwell pardon. The first video of an earthquake fault slip led to a major discovery. The sheriff says he's never seen a worse case of child sex abuse. Report an error