'Tremors' Actor Fred Ward Dead At 79

Actor Fred Ward passed away at the age of 79. He was best known for his roles in “Tremors” opposite Kevin Bacon. He also starred in “Short Cuts.”

A representative for the late actor did not disclose a cause of death to the New York Post in a short statement regarding his passing.

“I am sad to announce the passing of acclaimed actor Fred Ward, who passed away on Sunday, May 8, 2022, at age 79,” the statement read. “The Golden Globe winner, actor, and producer, is best known for ‘The Right Stuff,’ ‘Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins,’ ‘Tremors,’ ‘Miami Blues,’ ‘Henry & June,’ ‘The Player,’ and ‘Short Cuts.'”

Although the spokesperson did not disclose a cause of death, they did pass along Ward’s final wishes.

“It was Fred Ward’s wish that any memorial tributes be made in the form of donations to the Boston University Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center. Please visit https://bit.ly/BUSMCTE or contact 617-358-9535 for more information.”

Encephalopathy is a broad medical term that refers to damage or disease that affects the brain.

The spokesperson also revealed that Ward spent the final years of his life painting. He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Marie-France Ward, and his son, Django Ward.

Rolling Stone editor Alan Sepinwall tweeted, "RIP, Fred Ward, a great character actor whose big shot at leading man status, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, unfortunately flopped, but who kept giving great, lived-in performances for the rest of his career."

Film critic Robert Daniels tweeted, "Fred Ward was absurdly good. A professional in everything he did from TREMORS to THE PLAYER. He could even turn in a great performance is something as patently dumb as JOE DIRT. Totally underrated."

Writer and director Josh Raby tweeted, "The thing about Fred Ward is he had that thing where he felt like a real guy you knew, while also feeling like absolutely no one else."

The Fangoria studio and magazine tweeted, "Rest in peace to the legendary Fred Ward. Genre fans know him from films such as TREMORS, CAST A DEADLY SPELL, and SOUTHERN COMFORT, but his career spanned dozens of films and shows, and he made everything he was in better with his presence."

One fan tweeted, "Another all time great leaves us. RIP Fred Ward. Tremors, The Right Stuff, Short Cuts, Miami Blues... His gruff, down to earth tough guy persona, so many great films, I always adored seeing him in anything."

Another fan tweeted, "If you've got HBO Max, stream Cast a Deadly Spell today. Bob Hoskins gets due credit for anchoring Roger Rabbit, but Fred Ward sells a neo-noir L.A. infested with rubbery hellspawn every bit as nimbly."

"RIP Fred Ward," wrote another. "His performance in Tremors will always be one of my all time favorites. Thanks for all the memories."