‘Spartacus’ star Whitfield eulogized… ‘he was a champion of his own life’

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Andy Whitfield,” Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht said in a statement Sunday night. “We were fortunate to have worked with Andy in ‘Spartacus’ and came to know that the man who played a champion on-screen was also a champion in his […]

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Andy Whitfield,” Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht said in a statement Sunday night. “We were fortunate to have worked with Andy in ‘Spartacus’ and came to know that the man who played a champion on-screen was also a champion in his own life.”

Creator of the ‘Spartacus ‘ Steven  DeKnight said there are no words to express the depth of such a loss. “You will be deeply missed, my brother,” DeKnight said.

Whitfield, star actor of the popular cable series ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand’ passed away on Sunday, September 11, 2011 after suffering from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. He was 39.

The actor who died in Sydney, Australia, has been diagnosed 18 months ago, his manager Sam Maydew told the Associated Press.

“On a beautiful sunny Sydney spring morning, surrounded by his family, in the arms of his loving wife, our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18 month battle with lymphoma cancer,” Whitfield’s wife Vashti said in a statement.

“He passed peacefully surrounded by love. Thank you to all his fans whose love and support have helped carry him to this point. He will be remembered as the inspiring, courageous gentle man, father and husband he was,” she said.

Whitfield gained his first prominent role in the Australian supernatural film ‘Gabriel’ but it was his role as the legendary Thracian slave in ‘Spartacus’ that turned him into a global star. The series which revolved around violence and sexuality became very popular and so did Whitfield as he appeared in all 13 episodes of the first season that aired in 2010. He was preparing to shoot the second season when he was diagnosed with cancer.