In Memorium (Chad McQueen, ‘Karate Kid’ Actor, Dies at 63)

Veteran actor Bill Paxton, best known to TV audiences as polygamist patriarch Bill Henrickson on HBO’s Big Love, died on Saturday due to complications from surgery. He was 61.

The actor, who was currently starring in CBS’ adaptation of the Denzel Washington/Ethan Hawke film Training Day, also appeared in the History Channel miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.

In a statement released to TMZ, Paxton’s family says that “it is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery,” and notes that his “passion for the arts was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth and tireless energy were undeniable.”

In addition to his small-screen credits, Paxton is known for such films as Twister, Titanic and Aliens.

Paxton is survived by his wife, Louise Newbury, and his two children.

Bill Paxton’s death at age 61 on Saturday could be linked to a childhood bout of rheumatic fever.

The “Twister” actor, who passed away due to complications from heart surgery, revealed on a podcast earlier this month that he was bedridden for six months after contracting the inflammatory disease when he was 13.

“I had been to a hockey game, and I woke up one night and I had a lot of pain in my left wrist,” Paxton told Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast on Feb. 6.

“I spent a good part of the seventh grade in bed,” he said, explaining that the ailment usually originates from strep throat. “I’d had a sore throat at Christmas. It had kind of gotten into my wrist, but it usually damages your heart valves.”

“Did it?” Maron asked. “Yeah, yeah,” Paxton replied.

The “Training Day” star also said that the illness may have benefitted him in terms of his future career. “It kind of isolated me  at an interesting age … Suddenly I was in this voyeuristic kind world, where I had TV but there wasn’t much TV on in those days, and I read a lot and looked out the window at the golf course, for about six months.”

According to the Mayo Clinic website, rheumatic fever can cause permanent damage to the heart, including damaged heart valves and heart failure.

Rheumatic heart disease is permanent damage to the heart caused by rheumatic fever, which  usually occurs 10 to 20 years after the original illness, the site explains, problems are most common with the valve between the two left chambers of the heart (mitral valve), but the other valves can be affected.

Doug Liman, who directed Paxton in the 2014 thriller “Edge of Tomorrow,” told the New York Daily News that the actor had talked to him about his upcoming heart surgery a few weeks ago.

“Even facing major surgery, his optimism for the future was infectious,” Liman said. “He was talking about the future, things we hoped to do together.”

Paxton’s numerous acting accolades included prominent roles in “Aliens,” “Apollo 13,” “Titanic,” “Million Dollar Arm,” “Nightcrawler,” “A Simple Plan” and “The Circle,” which is currently in post-production.

Bill Paxton‘s death was triggered by an aneurysm that required surgery which resulted in a fatal stroke.

According to the death certificate, obtained by TMZ, Paxton had just undergone valve replacement surgery to correct the aortic aneurysm problem when complications arose later and he suffered a stroke.

According to the death certificate, Bill had the surgery on Feb. 14 and died on the 25.

Powers Boothe, an Emmy-winning character actor with credits on “Nashville,” “Hatfield and McCoys” and “Deadwood,” has died at 68.

In a statement, the actor’s longtime publicist Karen Samfillipo told TheWrap:

Powers died in his sleep this morning of natural causes.  There will be a private service held in Texas where he was from.  A memorial celebration in his honor is being considered for a future date.  Donations can be made to the Gary Sinise Foundation, which honors the nation’s defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need.

His friend Beau Bridges mourned the loss  over Twitter.

It's with great sadness that I mourn the passing of my friend Powers Boothe. A dear friend, great actor, devoted father & husband.
— Beau Bridges (@MrBeauBridges) May 14, 2017

Boothe had dozens of roles in film and television through a career that stretched back to 1980. He won the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a limited series for his portrayal of Jim Jones in “Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones” in 1980.

Among his recent roles, Boothe appeared in the 2012 miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys” as Judge Valentine “Wall” Hatfield and played Lamar Wyatt in the ABC show “Nashville.” He also appeared in the “Sin City” franchise as well as “The Avengers” and reprised the role in ABC’s “Agents of Shield.”

According to Wikipedia, Boothe was born on a farm in Snyder, Texas, the son of a rancher. He was married to Pam Cole with whom he had two children, Parisse and Preston.

Roger Moore, the handsome English actor who appeared in seven films as James Bond — the most of any Bond actor — and as Simon Templar on “The Saint” TV series, has died in Switzerland after a short battle with cancer. He was 89.

His family issued an announcement on Twitter: “It is with the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated.”

With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated. pic.twitter.com/6dhiA6dnVg
— Sir Roger Moore (@sirrogermoore) May 23, 2017

Moore appeared in more official Bond pics than his friend Sean Connery over a longer period of time, and while Connery’s fans were fiercely loyal, polls showed that many others favored Moore’s lighter, more humorous take on 007.

In 1972, Moore was asked to join Her Majesty’s Secret Service. He took on the mantle of 007 for 1973’s “Live and Let Die,” which would lead to six more turns as England’s top spy. In addition to reviving the franchise at the B.O. after waning prospects at the end of Connery’s run, the new James Bond relied on more humor in stories that cranked up the camp.

Moore as Bond began to shake off the Connery comparisons and pick up speed after 1977’s “The Spy Who Loved Me” launched the series into super-blockbuster status, raking in $185.4 million worldwide. Next up, the outer space-traveling “Moonraker” (1979) cumed $202 million and 1981’s “For Your Eyes Only” took $194 million.

His next roles were in “Octopussy” (1983) and 1985’s “A View to a Kill,” in which he surrendered his license to kill.

The young actor came to the U.S. in 1953. MGM signed him to a contract and he received supporting work on several pictures. He played a tennis pro in 1954’s “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” with Elizabeth Taylor. The role was one of several in the ’50s that hinged on his tall, athletic good looks. He would often play royalty or military characters.

Moore had his first taste of smallscreen stardom from 1956-58 as the lead, Sir Winfred, in ITV’s “Ivanhoe.” While still drawing film roles, he would continue to star in TV programs, following “Ivanhoe” with short-lived ABC Western “The Alaskans” and replacing James Garner in “Maverick” in 1960-61 (Moore played British cousin Beau Maverick). By the time he arrived on “Maverick,” its popularity was waning, but Moore won over the cast and crew with his good humor and charm, on-set qualities for which the actor would be known throughout his career.

In 1962, Moore began playing one of the roles that would define his celebrity, dashing thief Simon Templar, who would steal from rich villains each week on “The Saint.” The show ran 118 episodes, transitioning from B&W to color and finally wrapping in 1969. The British skein initially ran in syndication in the States but was part of NBC’s primetime schedule from 1967-69.

Stories would feature exotic locales, beautiful women and plenty of action, elements shared with the bigscreen tales about a certain British spy of the era. Ironically, it was the “Saint” contract that prevented Moore from competing for the role of 007 when Sean Connery was cast in 1962’s “Dr. No.”

Moore returned to the big screen with a pair of forgettable thrillers in ’69 and ’70. Despite having sworn off TV, he was subsequently lured back for “The Persuaders.” The show, which featured Moore and Tony Curtis as millionaire playboy crime-fighters, ran only one season; it was successful in Europe but failed in its run on ABC in the U.S.

During his 13 years as 007, Moore landed feature roles in other action films, but none that would compete with the Bond franchise. Movies from that period include 1978’s “The Wild Geese,” with Richard Burton and Richard Harris, and 1980’s “ffolkes” with James Mason and David Hedison, who played CIA agent Felix Leiter in “Live and Let Die.”

The actor took great fun in skewering his slick image offscreen and on-, including appearances in “Cannonball Run” and TV’s “The Muppet Show,” in which he struck out with Miss Piggy; in the 2002 comedy “Boat Trip,” he played a flamboyant homosexual with some Bond-like elements, and in 2004 he lent his voice to animated short “The Fly Who Loved Me.”

He also occasionally appeared both on the big and small screen. He appeared in the Spice Girls feature “Spice World,” provided a voice for “The Saint” feature in 1997, appeared in an episode of “Alias” in 2003 and had a role in the 2013 telepic version of “The Saint” starring Eliza Dushku.

Moore did quite a bit of voice work in the 2000s in pics including “Here Comes Peter Cottontail,” “Agent Crush,” “Gnomes and Trolls: The Forest Trial,” “De vilde svaner” and 2010’s “Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,” whose title was an allusion to Bond girl Pussy Galore of “Goldfinger”; his “Cats and Dogs” character was Tab Lazenby.

He became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 1991 and had been an active advocate for children’s causes. In 1999, he was honored by the British government with the title Commander of the British Empire.

Moore was born in Stockwell, South London. Despite health problems, Moore excelled at school and took an early interest in art and drawing. His grammar school education was interrupted by the start of WWII; he and his mother spent most of the war in Amersham, 25 miles outside of London.

In 1943, Moore decided to leave school and pursue work in animation at Publicity Pictures Prods., where he was a junior trainee in cartooning. But mishandling of some celluloid brought a swift conclusion to that career path.

Moore began his long acting career during the summer of 1944, when a friend recommended that he seek work as an extra on the film “Caesar and Cleopatra,” which brought Moore a walk-on role and the attention of co-director Brian Desmond Hurst, who was impressed with the looks of the tall, thin young man and secured him extra parts in two subsequent pics. With the support of Hurst, Moore auditioned for and was admitted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

In 1945, Moore was called up for national service and, after basic training, was recommended for the Intelligence Corps. “The only reason they commissioned me was I looked good in a uniform,” Moore joked of his military career.

The actor’s autobiography, “My Word Is My Bond,” was published in 2008; his other books include memoir “One Lucky Bastard” and “Bond on Bond.” In recent years he toured with a popular one-man show, “An Evening With Roger Moore.”

Moore was married to skater Doorn Van Steyn, singer Dorothy Squires, Italian actress Luisa Mattioli and finally to Danish-Swedish multimillionaire Kristina “Kiki” Tholstrup. He is survived by Tholstrup; a daughter, actress Deborah Moore; and two sons, Geoffrey Moore, an actor, and Christian Moore, a film producer.