In the arena as Spartacus, he was invincible. But in real life, former Spartacus: Blood and Sand star Andy Whitfield has lost his fight with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The Welsh-born actor, who was beloved by fans of Starz’s gladiator drama, died today in Sydney, Australia where he had lived since 1999. In a report, Whitfield’s wife Vashti said the actor died on a “sunny Sydney morning” in the “arms of his loving wife.” He was 37. “We are deeply disappointed by the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Andy Whitfield,” Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht said in a statement. “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. Andy was an motivation to all of us as he faced this very personal battle with courage, strength and elegance. Our opinions and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. He will live on in the hearts of his family, friends and fans.”
Whitfield got his big break when he was cast as the title character on Spartacus: Blood and Sand. But during a routine checkup in March 2010 just before production on Season 2 was to begin, he was diagnosed with treatable Stage 1 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Production was put on hold while Whitfield underwent treatment. He eventually went into remission and was days away from starting filming on Season 2 when his cancer came back and he had to resume aggressive treatment. Despite that, he remained positive, while The Spatracus role was eventually recast with Liam McIntyre.
In June 2010, when he had just been given a clean bill of health and was actively training for his return to the show, Whitfield gave Deadline an interview, in which he talked about his illness. “After the initial shock – I was a healthy young man and had no idea that this could happen — it was frustrating that the first season was ending on such a high note and we could’ve been rolling into season 2.” But after that initial shock came “time to heal, figure things out and spend time with my family,” he said. And the experience has thought him some important lessons, like: “Stay in the now and enjoy every moment".
Whitfield got his big break when he was cast as the title character on Spartacus: Blood and Sand. But during a routine checkup in March 2010 just before production on Season 2 was to begin, he was diagnosed with treatable Stage 1 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Production was put on hold while Whitfield underwent treatment. He eventually went into remission and was days away from starting filming on Season 2 when his cancer came back and he had to resume aggressive treatment. Despite that, he remained positive, while The Spatracus role was eventually recast with Liam McIntyre.
In June 2010, when he had just been given a clean bill of health and was actively training for his return to the show, Whitfield gave Deadline an interview, in which he talked about his illness. “After the initial shock – I was a healthy young man and had no idea that this could happen — it was frustrating that the first season was ending on such a high note and we could’ve been rolling into season 2.” But after that initial shock came “time to heal, figure things out and spend time with my family,” he said. And the experience has thought him some important lessons, like: “Stay in the now and enjoy every moment".
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