Actor Sir Roger Moore, best known for playing British secret agent James Bond, has died at the age of 89.
News of Moore’s death was shared by his “devastated” children via the actor’s Twitter account on Tuesday.
Described as an actor, UNICEF ambassador and author, Moore passed away in Switzerland “after a short but brave battle with cancer.”
“Thank you Pops for being you, and for being so very special to so many people,” the statement read, before adding that a private funeral will be held in Monaco “in accordance with our father’s wishes”.
“The love with which he was surrounded in his final days was so great it cannot be quantified in words alone.”
Moore is the first Bond of the film franchise to pass away. He played the secret agent in seven feature films between 1973 and 1985.
“The affection our father felt whenever he walked on to a stage or in front of a camera buoyed him hugely and kept him busy working into his 90th year, through to his last appearance in november 2016 on stage at London’s Royal Festival Hall.”
Moore was knighted in 2003 for his charity work, at the time he said the honor “meant far more to me than if I had got it for acting.”
Born in London on October 14, 1927, Moore is survived by his fourth wife Kristina Tholstrup and his three children Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian.
Fans and peers alike took to Twitter to share their condolences and fond memories of the actor, as well as the impact his iconic role played in their lives.