Beloved Actor, Activist, and Father Donald Sutherland Has Passed Away at Age 88

It feels as if Donald Sutherland has been acting since acting as we know it has been around. The veteran thespian has been in everything from 1970's M*A*S*H to JFK and even Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie). To say this man had range is putting it quite simply. Sadly the world will be without another thrilling performance from Mr. Sutherland as it was recently announced he passed away at age 88. With that, we have lost a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Here's what we know about his cause of death.

In a post on Twitter, Kiefer Sutherland broke the news about his father's death. "With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away," he wrote. "I personally think [he is] one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived." A statement from his agency said he had been suffering from a "long illness," per CNN.

The replies were flooded with condolences from colleagues and strangers alike. Some mention favorite works of his, such as The Dirty Dozen, while others merely wanted to share in the grief felt by a son for the loss of his father. All of them had one thing in common and that was the belief that Donald Sutherland was and will always be a legend.

In November 1989, Donald spoke with the Los Angeles Times about his already long and storied relationship with his own body. Pick an ailment and he had it, and was certainly not shy about discussing it. His medical resume included but was not limited to polio, rheumatic fever, hepatitis, an appendectomy, pneumonia, and scarlet fever. The actor also added spinal meningitis to the list, and said, "I died ... Yes. I died. For four or five seconds."

In March 2011, Donald spoke with Esquire where he provided some hilarious insight into what he had learned about life thus far. It's very stream-of-consciousness but a few standout thoughts bear repeating here. "Getting old is like having a new profession, except it's not a profession of your own choosing," he said. He also mentioned that if someone is in a coma, please speak to them. They can definitely hear you. Regarding his children, Donald described them as "beautiful, beautiful, beautiful people. They've taught me humility, pride, and fear."