Legendary actor Ian Holm has died in London aged 88.
In a statement to The Guardian, his agent said:
"It is with great sadness that the actor Sir Ian Holm CBE passed away this morning at the age of 88.
"He died peacefully in hospital, with his family and carer,” adding that his illness was Parkinson’s related.
"Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely."
The versatile actor is known for portraying Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, as well as Ash in Alien, Father Vito Cornelius in The Fifth Element, and Chef Skinner in Disney's animated hit Ratatouille.
His wife, Sophie de Stempel, documented his final days with a series of pastel portraits (some seen below).
He had achieved many accolades for his work over the years.
In 1967, he won Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in The Homecoming and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of King Lear.
He also took home the 1981 BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role as athletics trainer Sam Mussabini in Chariots of Fire - a role that also earned him an Academy Award nomination.
His fans have since taken to Twitter to pay their respects to the much-admired late actor:
The actor was once asked by a fan; who would win in a fight between Bilbo Baggins and Ash from Alien? To which Holm jokingly replied:
"Ash. Bilbo would trip over his large feet. And I fear Ash would devise some terrible foul in round three. I don't think old Bilbo would stand a chance, I'm afraid."
And per The Independent, when asked about how he felt about always being cast as a supporting actor and not the star, Holm said: "As an actor, I'm very much a company person. And this also goes through my life: I have a dread of responsibility. I like someone else to be in charge."
Our thoughts are with Holm's family, friends, and fans at this difficult time.
