By Stephanie Petit and Maria Mercedes Lara, PEOPLE.com
Actor Bill Paxton has died due to complications from surgery, PEOPLE confirms.
“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.”
The Texas native, who was nominated for an Emmy for his work in the TV mini-series Hatfields and McCoys, began acting in the 1970s. His earliest acting credits include minor roles in blockbusters such as Terminator (1984) and Aliens (1986).
Paxton’s final big-screen role will be in the thriller The Circle, which is currently in post-production, alongside Emma Watson and Tom Hanks. Paxton said in a 2007 interview with PEOPLE that he and Hanks kept in touch after costarring in Apollo 13 — and Hanks was an executive producer of Big Love.
“We write each other letters,” said Paxton. “I love that I’m working for Tom again. [Apollo 13] forged an alliance.”
The actor is survived by his two children, James and Lydia Paxton, and his wife of 30 years Louise Newbury.
“I was thrilled to have my son [James, 22,] guest-star on the eighth episode of Training Day,” Paxton told PEOPLE earlier this month. “He plays the son in a father-son robbery team, and my character, whose dad was also a criminal, tells him, ‘We’re both our father’s sons, but that doesn’t have to define us.’ It was surreal saying that to him.”
“I loved watching Stranger Things with my daughter [Lydia, 19],” he said. “But I had surgery last spring and binge-watched all of Downton Abbey while I was recuperating. I got so engrossed in it, I was devastated when I got to the end.”
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