Beloved Actor Bill Paxton Dies at 61

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Sad news on Oscar Day: Beloved actor Bill Paxton passed away unexpectedly at the age of 61 due to complications following surgery.

His family put out the following statement:

“It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery,” a family representative said in a statement. “A loving husband and father, Bill began his career in Hollywood working on films in the art department and went on to have an illustrious career spanning four decades as a beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker. Bill’s passion for the arts was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth and tireless energy were undeniable. We ask to please respect the family’s wish for privacy as they mourn the loss of their adored husband and father.”

Paxton had a bevy of classic film credits to his name. Some pointed out he had the distinction of being “the only man to be killed by the Terminator, Alien and Predator, yet fly around the moon, survive an F5 and explore the Titanic.”

Actors who had worked with Paxton took to Twitter to honor his passing.

Arnold was in the movies Terminator and True Lies with him with Jamie Lee Curtis co-starring with him in the latter.

Paxton’s three other Apollo 13 co-stars remembered him fondly.

His Twister co-stars honored his memory.

Real life storm chasers always felt a special kinship to Paxton for his role as a storm chaser in the movie Twister, and they remembered his influence.

Bill Paxton’s latest work was on the TV adaptation of “Training Day,” which just premiered on CBS a few weeks ago.

Director James Cameron, who worked with Paxton on many films including The Terminator, Aliens, and Titanic, put out a statement honoring his friend.

I’ve been reeling from this for the past half hour, trying to wrap my mind and heart around it. Bill leaves such a void. He and I were close friends for 36 years, since we met on the set of a Roger Corman ultra-low budget movie. He came in to work on set, and I slapped a paint brush in his hand and pointed to a wall, saying “Paint that!” We quickly recognized the creative spark in each other and became fast friends. What followed was 36 years of making films together, helping develop each others projects, going on scuba diving trips together, watching each others kids growing up, even diving the Titanic wreck together in Russian subs. It was a friendship of laughter, adventure, love of cinema, and mutual respect. Bill wrote beautiful heartfelt and thoughtful letters, an anachronism in this age of digital shorthand. He took good care of his relationships with people, always caring and present for others. He was a good man, a great actor, and a creative dynamo. I hope that amid the gaudy din of Oscar night, people will take a moment to remember this wonderful man, not just for all the hours of joy he brought to us with his vivid screen presence, but for the great human that he was.

The world is a lesser place for his passing, and I will profoundly miss him.

One cool little non-Hollywood factoid about Paxton is that he saw John F. Kennedy’s final speech on the day he was killed.

Paxton, a Fort Worth, Texas native, begged his father to take him and his brother to see JFK speak on that fateful day in Dallas, Nov. 22, 1963.

Kennedy was delivering a speech to the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, but before he did that, he gave a speech to a crowd of thousands outside the hotel he and his wife, Jackie, were staying. An 8-year-old Paxton was in the crowd.

“It was amazing to see President Kennedy because I had mostly seen him on television in black and white, and there he was in living color and I couldn’t believe how red his hair was,” Paxton said in a previous interview at Texas Christian University. “And he was in very good spirits. He made a joke about Jackie not being there because she took a little bit longer to get ready, but she looked a lot better.”

Paxton leaves behind a wife of 30 years and two children in their 20s. Watch the heart-warming story of how Paxton met his wife that he shared only a few weeks ago.

Game over, man, game over. RIP, Bill Paxton. You will be missed.

What are your favorite Bill Paxton film roles? Tell us in the comments below!

By Alexa

Alexa is a freelance writer and communications consultant, with experience working on the Hill, at the RNC, and for... More about Alexa

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