Top Gun and Die Hard actor Clarence Gilyard Jr has passed away aged 66, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has confirmed.
He died following a lengthy battle with an illness but no further details have been shared.
In a heartbreaking statement shared by the university, they said that the talented actor would be ‘loved and missed dearly.’
UNLV film chair Heather Addison said in a statement: “Professor Gilyard was a beacon of light and strength for everyone around him.
“Whenever we asked him how he was, he would cheerfully declare that he was “Blessed!”
“But we are truly the ones who were blessed to be his colleagues and students for so many years. We love you and will miss you dearly, Professor G!”
Gilyard worked in Hollywood for two decades before choosing to become a film and theater professor.
UNLV College of Fine Arts Dean Nancy Uscher told Las Vegas Review-Journal: “His students were deeply inspired by him, as were all who knew him.
“He had many extraordinary talents and was extremely well-known in the university through his dedication to teaching and his professional accomplishments.”
The college also told the outlet: “His generosity of spirit was boundless — he was always ready to contribute to projects and performances however possible.”
The star made his movie debut in 1986’s Top Gun as F-14 Tomcat radar intercept officer, Lt. (jg) Marcus ‘Sundown’ Williams.
Having been born into a miliary family, it was easy for Gilyard to play his role.
But he was best known for his role as computer hacker Theo in the Christmas film Die Hard.
Speaking of turning back on his acting career to be a professor, Gilyard said in a 2010 interview: “My manager-agent is not happy that I’m not working, but the university is just too much fun. And once you start a semester and meet those students, it’s like doing a TV series.”
“You’re plugged into them. How can you leave them once you see in their eyes that they’re depending on you? They have aspirations for their own growth for those 15 weeks,” he added.
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