Actor And Playwright Sam Shepard Dies At 73
Award-winning actor, director, author and playwright Sam Shepard has died. He was 73 years old.
BroadwayWorld first reported the news Monday morning. A spokesman for the family also confirmed Shepard’s death with The New York Times, saying he died at his home in Kentucky on Thursday due to complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. HuffPost reached out to a representative for the playwright but did not receive an immediate response.
Fans shared words of remembrance over Twitter:
A hero of theatre. A hero of writing. A hero of acting. A hero of mine. Sam Shepard RIP.
— Nikolaj CosterWaldau (@nikolajcw) July 31, 2017
RIP Sam Shepard. Incredible writer. Great actor. Your daily reminder that The Right Stuff is one of the greatest movies of all time. pic.twitter.com/Xpd6xMb7Pc
— Denizcan Targaryen (@MrFilmkritik) July 31, 2017
RIP Sam Shepard. And thank you for one of the most iconic images in #AvGeek cinema history pic.twitter.com/Mg7NRjTSav
— Rowland White (@RowlandWhite) July 31, 2017
"When you hit a wall — of your own imagined limitations — just kick it in." Sam Shepard was a brilliant artist who gave us all so much. #RIP pic.twitter.com/4REeI4pUjw
— Tribeca (@Tribeca) July 31, 2017
Sam Shepard has long been a hero of mine. A versatile artist with an unflinching style entirely his own. A renegade renaissance man. RIP.
— John Gallagher, Jr. (@JohnGallagherJr) July 31, 2017
Jeanne Moreau, Sam Shepard thank you for enlighten us at 24 frames per second. RIP pic.twitter.com/fPi6HTLnzp
— Antonio Banderas (@antoniobanderas) July 31, 2017
Sam Shepard was a towering figure in American theater and film. He indeed had "the right stuff." His voice will truly be missed. https://t.co/gkkK8KHxum
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) July 31, 2017
I love Jack Nicholson but Sam Shepard deserved that Oscar for "The Right Stuff" and I'd shout it while bouncing on Jack's sofa.
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) July 31, 2017
Heartbroken...Sam Shepard has died. 2x @TheTonyAwards-nom'd playwright was an original voice and a theatre legend. https://t.co/D99L7zdXL4 pic.twitter.com/v1ykYi2Mzu
— The Tony Awards (@TheTonyAwards) July 31, 2017
Shepard wrote over 40 plays, along with short stories and essays, over the course of his professional life. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play “Buried Child” and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting actor in 1983 for “The Right Stuff.” His most recent acting credits include “Never Here” and Netflix’s “Bloodline.”
Last year, The New York Times spoke with Shepard about his esteemed career, as some referred to him as “the greatest living American playwright.”
“Yes and no,” he responded. “If you include the short stories and all the other books and you mash them up with some plays and stuff, then, yes, I’ve come at least close to what I’m shooting for. In one individual piece, I’d say no. There are certainly some plays I like better than others, but none that measure up.”
Shepard is survived by children Jesse, Hannah and Walker Shepard.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.