Andy Whitfield, the star of the hit Starz network series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” has died at age 39 from non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
With family by his side and surrounded by love, on Sunday September 11 2011, Andy Whitfield lost his 18 month long battle with lymphoma cancer. In a statement released:
“On a beautiful sunny Sydney spring morning, surrounded by his family, in the arms of his loving wife, our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18 month battle with lymphoma cancer,” Whitfield’s wife Vashti said in a statement. “He passed peacefully surrounded by love. Thank you to all his fans whose love and support have help carry him to this point. He will be remembered as the inspiring, courageous and gentle man, father and husband he was.”
Many wondered what happened to Andy when the second season of Spartacus came out and he wasn’t cast. Appearing in all 13 episodes of the first season, Andy was an instant hit but a diagnosis with cancer put the halt on all future episodes with him staring. He was expected to recover after treatment so the network produced a 6 part prequel however after Andy’s condition grew worse they cast a replacement for him (Australian actor Liam McIntyre).
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Andy Whitfield,” Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht said in a statement Sunday night. “We were fortunate to have worked with Andy in ‘Spartacus’ and came to know that the man who played a champion on-screen was also a champion in his own life.”
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (aka non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, NHL, or just lymphoma) is a form of cancer that starts in the cells called Lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are part of the body’s immune system and are located in the lymph nodes and other lymphoid tissues (such as the spleen and bone marrow). There are two basic types of lymphomas; Hodgkin Lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Both diseases differ in how they behave, spread, and are treated.
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