This is a video of Ben Harper talking about Heath in one of his concerts. He was probably going to perform "Happy Everafter In Your Eyes", and that's what triggered the story. It's a shame that the song isn't on the video, but his story is really touching.
I listened to it several times, trying to understand what he says, not always easy to tell... I wasn't able to get everything word for word, but this is pretty much how it goes:
Ben: …My doorbell rang in about 8:30 in the morning… (going on about hearing the Semi which is unusual in his street)… I came to the door, and, "I've got a piano here for Mr. Harper". And I say "no, no you don't… 'cause I didn't… don't think I ordered a piano. It's the kind of thing you'd remember". And he says "no you didn't order it, it's on special delivery here from Mr. Heath Ledger".
We've been up two nights before – straight – I think maybe he outlasted me – I think – if I could run 10 miles Heath could run 12, put it that way. And so I think I dozed off once, in the two days. And we were up listening to Nick Drake and just being completely overwhelmed with enthusiasm about one of his best friends, who's one of the great Hip-Hop artists I've ever known or heard, N'fa. N'fa is incredible, and one of the great humans on the planet. And so we were up and he was showing me N'fa's new video that he had cut, and we were up playing, hammering on this piano and then two days later it showed up. And that was the kind of majestic, regal human being that Heath was.
And just like me he had no sense of time. the phone would ring at 4:00 in the morning, no shit, and – (whispering, imitating his wife): "honey, it's Heath, again, would you just – we just got the baby to sleep – would you just tell him to wait 'til 7:00, you know…" and I'd go up in the corner: "Hey man… (mimicking a whispered conversation) oh, really? Oh, okay, okay okay – I'll meet you there in 10 minutes". And then I'd go – and she's, "where the hell are you going??" and I'm, "honey it's Heath, I gotta go!" and we'd be eating pastrami sandwiches in Hollywood in 4:30 in the morning.
And two days later, that piano – he called and said "you got that piano, right?" I say "yeah". And he says "ok, I've got a baby coming in about a month, I need you to write her a lullaby". And I did it right away. He needs a lullaby, it's like, "you got it man, you know, sure, I would do it". And so, this next song, I don't play and I haven't played much at all, because I haven't been able to play it, because when you do, it's just…it's…" (I wasn't able to understand what he said here). But I'm just starting to come around, and play a little bit, and I think… it is what it is… and we're in Australia, Sydney, so…
Someone from the audience asks, "where's the piano?"
Ben: I play it every morning over coffee. Wake up – cup – sit at the piano. And I think of him, and the great, incredible times… he directed this video for me. He was going to direct a video, I have a song called… (didn't get it) and he was going to direct that video, but he was hell bent on setting me on fire. "I'll set you on fire!..." (he talked some more about the emails they used to send each other back and forth, I wasn't able to get everything there).
If anybody picked up more things that he said that I missed and feels like filling in the blanks, please do...