Andy Whitfield, who played Spartacus in the first season of Spartacus (Blood and Sand) has passed away. He was 37. His death, caused by a non-Hodgkin lymphoma, occured yesterday in Sydney, where he lived with his wife.
Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with this form of cancer 18 months ago, a few weeks before the beginning of shooting season 2 of Spartacus, which was obviously postponed.
After this diagnosis, a prequel of Spartacus (Gods of the Arena) was ordered, pushing back season 2 to 2012 in order to help Andy Whitfield to focus on his treatment and come back to work when he's cured. A few months later it was announced that Whitfield was getting better, that the treatment was working and that he might even appear in 2 episodes of the prequel.
Sadly, there were complications and he then announced that he could not return to the show. Liam McIntyre was cast to star in the second season of Spartacus (Vengeance), set to premiere in January 2012 on Starz.
I can't believe this, that's so sad. I had a little bit of a shock when I came across this headline on the official Spartacus Facebook page. Andy Whitfield played a great Spartacus, it was very sad when he said he could not return due to his cancer and it's always tragic to hear someone died at such a young age.
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