Legendary Playwright and Actor Sam Shepard Dies
Legendary playwright, actor and author, Sam Shepard, has passed away last week at the age of 73.
Shepard, who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly referred to as ALS, motor neuron disease or Lou Gehrig’s disease, passed away on Thursday, 27 July at his home in Kentucky.
A family spokesperson confirmed to the New York Times that Shepard passed away due to complications associated with his disease.
Shepard was considered one of the greats in the modern, literary arts and the theatre world. During his career, he produced 44 plays and wrote several books, poems, memoirs and short stories.
He won a Pulitzer Prize for his play, ‘Buried Child’, in 1979. He was also nominated two years prior; first in 1977 for his play ‘Fool for Love’ and again in 1978 for ‘True West.’
Although reluctant to be in front of the camera, Shepard eventually ventured into acting himself.
He starred in classic films, such as ‘Steel Magnolias’ and ‘All the Pretty Horses’, and was nominated for an Oscar in 1984 for his performance in ‘The Right Stuff.’
Shepard met actress Jessica Lange on the set of the film ‘Frances’ in the early 1980s. They fell in love and remained together for close to 30 years, until their separation in 2009.
They have two children together, Hannah and Samuel Shepard. Sam also has another son, Jesse, whom he had with ex-wife, O-Lan Jones.
Upon the news of his death, several celebrities, including fellow actors, writers and directors, posted tributes to the late legend on social media.
“Sam Shepard. Whenever he came on-screen, you knew you were in good hands. A frame from Days of Heaven. May he rest in love,” filmmaker Ava Duvernay posted on Twitter, alongside a photograph of Shepard and his ‘Days of Heaven’ co-star, , Brooke Adams.
“Sam Shepard. What a titan of a human and artist,” said Josh Groban.
“A hero of theatre. A hero of writing. A hero of acting. A hero of mine. Sam Shepard RIP,” said actor, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
Our condolences to his friends and family, may he rest in peace.
Image credit: Sam Shepard (2002) [online image] sourced on 1 August 2017 at http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/sam-shepard-actor-and-playwright-dies-at-age-73/
