That's fair, not sure if I had seen any of his movies when I was that age either. Maybe 10 Things I Hate About You. It was a big deal at the time and his death still makes me more sad than any other pop figure that's died in my lifetime, I think. I'm not sure if the death of River Phoenix felt the same way to his fans, but Heath Ledger made such a big impact for the short time he was with us... it's so sad that he didn't get more time to grow because he was one of the best.
Especially terrifying is that the source of his work and the source of his death may be the same.