Andy Whitfield, the beloved character of ‘Spartacus: Blood And Sand’ has died at the age of 39.
He passed away from non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in Sydney, Australia only 18 months after being diagnosed. According to NPR, Whitfield was diagnosed after shooting the season and had to drop out.
According to thehollywoodgossip.com, Whitfield was diagnosed with treatable Stage 1 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in March of 2010 and determined to be cancer-free two months later. However by that September, Whitfield would not be return for the show’s second season because he had to undergo “aggressive treatment” for a recurrence of the disease—He was ultimately replaced by Liam McIntyre.
“On a beautiful sunny Sydney spring morning, surrounded by his family, in the arms of his loving wife, our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18 month battle with lymphoma cancer,” Whitfield’s wife Vashti said in a statement, reported the Associated Press.”He passed peacefully surrounded by love. Thank you to all his fans whose love and support have help carry him to this point. He will be remembered as the inspiring, courageous and gentle man, father and husband he was.”
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Andy Whitfield,” Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht said in a statement Sunday night, reported the Associated Press. “We were fortunate to have worked with Andy in `Spartacus’ and came to know that the man who played a champion on-screen was also a champion in his own life.”
