Variety (via ComicBookMovie.com) is reporting that Irish actor Ray Stevenson has passed away at the age of 58. The news was confirmed by his publicist, though no information about his cause of death has been officially released at this time.
However, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica claims he had been hospitalized on the island of Ischia while in production on the film Cassino in Ischia, directed by Frank Ciota. It's unclear whether Stevenson suffered an accident while working or if his death was a result of illness.
The actor would have turned 59 on Thursday.
He first took a trip into a Galaxy Far, Far Away as Gar Saxon in Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars before landing a live-action role in this August's Ahsoka. In that series, Stevenson plays a mysterious lightsaber-wielding villain called Baylon and he was at Star Wars Celebration last month to hype the show up alongside his fellow cast members.
Many of you will, of course, also know him best for his contributions to the Marvel Universe. He played Frank Castle in 2008's Punisher: War Zone before joining the MCU as Volstagg. The latter is a role he took on in Thor, Thor: The Dark World and, briefly, in Thor: Ragnarok. Stevenson won a legion of fans thanks to those projects and was easily the standout member of The Warriors Three.
Stevenson began his career in the 1990s and broke into Hollywood in the 2000s.
His first major movie role was in King Arthur, though we're sure you'll remember him from memorable turns in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the Divergent franchise, and RRR. On the small screen, Stevenson starred in Rome, Dexter, and Black Sails, among others.
In terms of upcoming projects, 1242: Gateway to the West is in post-production, while the aforementioned Cassino in Ischia is still shooting.
A major talent has been lost with Stevenson's passing and our thoughts go out to his family at this difficult time.