Julian McMahon, best known for roles in popular shows like Nip/Tuck and Charmed, has sadly died aged 56.
McMahon's heartbroken wife, Kelly Paniagua, revealed in a statement that the Australian actor sadly passed away in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday (July 3) following a private battle with cancer.
“With an open heart, I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer,” she said, per The Guardian. “Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans. His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible.”
She added: “We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy. And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy, to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories.”
The Charmed star, who had kept his illness private, made his final public appearance on March 10 at SXSW in Austin, Texas, where he appeared noticeably frail while promoting his film The Surfer alongside Nicolas Cage.
Wearing a blue checked jacket that hung loosely on his frame, he managed a smile for photographers at the Zach Theatre.
In a statement to Deadline, Cage remembered McMahon, calling the loss “saddening” and describing him as “one of my favorite people".
“I spent six weeks working with Julian, and he was the most talented of actors,” Cage said. “Our scenes together on The Surfer were amongst my favorites I have ever participated in, and Julian is one of my favorite people. He was a kind and intelligent man. My love to his family.”
The late star's career spanned decades across television and film. After rising to fame on the Australian soap Home & Away in the early 1990s, he moved to the US, where he starred as Detective John Grant in Profiler and as Cole Turner in Charmed.
His breakout role came as Dr. Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck, earning him a Golden Globe nomination in 2004.
He also played Jess LaCroix on FBI: Most Wanted before departing the series in 2022 and portrayed the supervillain Dr. Doom in Fantastic Four and its sequel. Other film credits included Premonition with Sandra Bullock.
McMahon, who was the only son of former Australian Prime Minister Sir William McMahon, once reflected on his upbringing in a 2018 Herald Sun interview, noting: “My Dad... was born in 1908. That's a very different time to what it was when he was raising me.
"He must have gone through a strange misunderstanding of how you were parented in 1908 versus how you parent in 1972; it would have been so conflicting. Also how you be a husband in that period of time would have been different," he added.
The Magenta actor's final role brought his life full circle as he portrayed the Australian Prime Minister in Netflix’s The Residence.
Our thoughts are with McMahon's loved ones at this time.