Beloved actor and Hollywood Legend Donald Sutherland has died at the age of 88.
Donald passed away earlier, Thursday, June 20, in Miami after a long battle with an undisclosed illness.
His son, actor Kiefer Sutherland, announced the sad news.
Taking to Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), Kiefer shared a black-and-white photo of himself as a boy with his father to honor Donald.
“With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away. I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived,” Kiefer wrote.
Although Kiefer didn’t reveal a cause of death, Deadline confirmed via Donald’s rep that he had been ill for quite some time but did not give specifics.
The Ordinary People actor is survived by his wife Francine Racette and five children, Kiefer, Roeg, Rossif, Angus, and Rachel, as well as four grandchildren.
Hollywood Icon Donald Sutherland dead at 88
There’s no question that Donald was a Hollywood legend with a career that spanned over five decades. Donald played a range of roles but was known for playing a more sinister character.
The Hunger Games, Don’t Look Now, Klute, Kelly’s Heroes Six Degrees of Separation, and JFK are just a few of Donald’s stellar acting roles. Despite being a gifted actor who always earned praise for his performances, Donald was never nominated for an Oscar.
In 2017, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave Donald an honorary statuette at the Governors Awards.
Donald didn’t just bring his talent to the big screen. The actor also appeared in television series such as The Undoing, Trust, Dirty Sexy Money, and The Pillars of the Earth. He won a Golden Globe for his performance in the TV movie Path to War.
Tributes pour in for Donald Sutherland
X has quickly become a memorial for Donald, with fans and those he worked with paying tribute to the late great actor.
Director and actor Ron Howard was one of the first to speak out, writing, “#RIPDonaldSutherland. I was blessed to direct him in #Backdraft. One of the most intelligent, interesting & engrossing film actors of all time. Incredible range, creative courage & dedication to serving the story & the audience with supreme excellence.”
Another X read, “Donald Sutherland gave great performances in some lousy films, and brilliant performances in some great ones. What he never did, however, was give boring performances. A class act. The world is a colder place. RIP.”
A different tribute said, “Since the mid-1960s and through the decades, Donald Sutherland brought his singular onscreen presence to roles large and small, always putting a unique spin on his characters. Rest well and thank you for an incredible and wide-ranging body of work, good sir.”
There was one that not only honored Donald but shared what a loss his passing was for the acting world.
Those are just a few of the messages coming in to honor Donald Sutherland, who has passed away at age 88. The actor spent decades in Hollywood entertaining fans with his outstanding talent.
RIP Donald Sutherland!