Actor Fred Ward has died, aged 79.
The news of the ‘Tremors’ star was confirmed by his publicist Ron Hoffman, but he did not provide a cause or location, respecting his family’s wishes.
About his May 8 passing, Ron told PEOPLE: “It was Fred Ward’s wish that any memorial tributes be made in the form of donations to the Boston University Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center.”
After being born and raised in San Diego, Fred – who worked in Hollywood for more than four decades – served in the US Air Force for three years and worked as a lumberjack in Alaska and other odd jobs before breaking into acting.
After working in television, he got his big break with the 1974 movie ‘Ginger in the Morning’, before going on to appear in shows such as ‘Quincy’, ‘M.E’, and the ‘The Incredible Hulk’.
The Golden Globe winner went on to add ‘The Right Stuff’ and ‘Henry and June’ to his credit list, among other projects, including the 1996 sequel to ‘Tremors’ and worked alongside Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Jason Leigh in ‘Miami Blues’, playing Officer Hoke Moseley,
In the 00s, Fred appeared in shows such as ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘ER’. His last project was the 2015 series ‘True Detective’ – that also starred Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey – as the character Eddie Velcoro.
Ron is survived by his wife Marie-France Ward – who he was married to for 27 years – and his son Django Ward, from a previous relationship.
