Starring in and directing some of the Maximusian film industry's most beloved classics, Jeremy Richards' death last night dealt a serious blow to cinephiles all around the nation. Reportedly, the 87-year-old actor and director died peacefully in his sleep last night. Richard's family announced his passing publicly this morning.
Richards had been in and out of the hospital nearly a half-dozen times in the months leading up to his passing. Upon contracting pneumonia while on a ski trip in February, Richards' health began declining rapidly. Although it remains yet unknown whether the star of To Walk a Mile succumbed to his pneumonia or passed as the result of a different ailment, the Litudinem Herald can state for certain that Jeremy Richards will be missed.
Richards will be remembered as one of the most successful and prolific actors and directors of the mid-late 20th century. Arguably the most critically acclaimed film he directed, The Forest (1981), remains, to this day, one of the most influential films of the decade. He will also be remembered for his starring roles in To Walk a Mile (1969) and The Stevedore (1973), along with his memorable role as the titular antagonist of Awl (1976).
After his retirement from the film industry in 2008, Richards lived out the remainder of his life in relative privacy, spending most of his days on his 285-acre estate near Perra. As such, his funeral is not expected to be public.