John Malkovich Says He Will Miss Close Friend Julian Sands 'Every Day of My Life' (Exclusive)

"I'm very sad about it," the actor — who is godfather to Sands' son Henry — told PEOPLE exclusively of Sands' death

John Malkovich is reacting to the death of close friend Julian Sands.

While accepting the Grand Prix prize from the Foreign Press in Italy on Wednesday, the 69-year-old actor spoke with PEOPLE exclusively about Sands, who went missing in January while hiking California's Mount Baldy and was confirmed dead late last month.

Noting how he and Sands were "the greatest of friends since we met doing a film called The Killing Fields in 1983, the first film I ever did," Malkovich said, "We stayed incredibly close since then."

"I'll miss him every day of my life, but such is life. You lose a lot along the road until you're lost. And that's the way life ends, I'm afraid," he continued. "I'm very sad about it, but obviously of course mostly for his children."

Added Malkovich, who is godfather to Sands' son Henry, "At my age, we get used to people dying. Many of my friends and colleagues are already gone, and I'll join them one of these days. Such is life."

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Related: John Malkovich Reacts to His 'Close' Friend Julian Sands' Disappearance: 'Very Sad Event'

Sands, who appeared in well over 100 onscreen roles during an acting career that began in the 1980s, was first reported missing in the Baldy Bowl area on Jan. 13 by his wife Evgenia.

Search and rescue crews previously were not successful in locating Sands in the immediate days following his disappearance, before the San Fernando Sheriff's Department confirmed that the remains found by recreational hikers in the area of Mount Baldy in June were that of Sands.

"The identification process for the body located on Mt. Baldy on June 24, 2023, has been completed and was positively identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood. The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results," the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department said in a statement.

The statement went on, "We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to try to locate Mr. Sands."

The British actor is best known for roles in films like 1985's A Room with a View, 1989's Warlock and 1990's Arachnophobia.

Related: Everything to Know About Actor Julian Sands' Disappearance as He's Confirmed Dead

Sands most recently appeared alongside Malkovich in the movie Seneca: On the Creation of Earthquakes, which had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in February.

During a press conference at festival, Malkovich explained that he and Sands "were very, very close" after knowing each other for nearly three decades, per Deadline.

"I'm a godfather to his first son from his first marriage to Sarah, who I know very well," the actor explained to reporters, while discussing their new film. "I introduced him to his second wife, and we have been close since we met in 1993 on the set of The Killing Fields."

"It's a very sad event," Malkovich said of Sands' disappearance, according to the outlet.

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