Paul Newman dies

Sunday, 28 September 2008

Paul Newman has died.

The Hollywood legend passed away at his farmhouse, located near Westport, Connecticut, on Friday (26.09.08) after losing his battle with cancer.

In a statement, his spokesman Jeff Sanderson revealed Newman, who was 83, had been surrounded by friends and family, including his wife of 50 years Joanne Woodward and five daughters, at the time of his death.

A statement from his children said: "Paul Newman played many unforgettable roles. But the ones for which he was proudest never had top billing on the marquee - devoted husband, loving father, adoring grandfather and dedicated philanthropist."

Only last month, it was claimed the screen icon - who had reportedly been having chemotherapy to treat terminal lung cancer - had told his family he wanted to die at home and not in hospital after being informed he only had "a few weeks to live".

Newman - famed for his piercing blue eyes and rugged good looks - is widely considered to be one of the greatest actors in Hollywood history, having starred in several classic movies, including 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid', 'The Sting', 'The Hustler' and 'Cool Hand Luke'.

Throughout his career, he was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and he won the Best Actor Oscar in 1987 for his role as pool shark Fast Eddie Felson in 'The Color of Money'.

He retired from acting in May 2007, saying, "I'm not able to work anymore at the level that I would want to. You start to lose your memory, you start to lose your confidence and you start to lose your invention."

As well as his Best Actor success, Newman also received an Academy Award in 1986 for his "many and memorable and compelling screen performances" and was given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1994 Oscars for his charity work.