close
close

Donald Sutherland died in Miami at the age of 88

Donald Sutherland died in Miami at the age of 88

06/20/2024 – File photo dated 05/11/15 of Donald Sutherland at the UK premiere of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 at the Odeon Leicester Square in London. Canadian actor Donald Sutherland has died aged 88 after a “long illness”, his agent confirmed to the PA news agency. Issue date: Thursday June 20, 2024. (Photo by Daniel Leal/PA Images/Alamy Images/Sipa USA) ***US rights only***

Daniel Leal/PA Images/Alamy Images/Sipa USA

Hollywood has lost an icon: Donald Sutherland has died in Miami at the age of 88.

His famous son Kiefer Sutherland announced the death of the industry veteran “after a long illness” on Thursday with an old black-and-white photo.

“It is with a heavy heart that I have to tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away,” the 57-year-old “24” star wrote on Instagram. “Personally, I consider him to be one of the greatest actors in film history. He was never discouraged by a role, whether it was good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved and you can never ask for more than that. A fulfilling life.”

Click to resize

Indeed. The Canadian-born actor has played almost too many iconic, wide-ranging roles to count, from the wisecracking Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H and a hippie professor in “I Think I’m Kicked by a Horse” to the introverted detective in “Klute” and the repressed, grieving father in “Ordinary Family.”

Over the course of a career that spanned more than six decades and more than 100 films, Sutherland eventually reached out to the younger generation and turned to popcorn films such as the Hunger Games series and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The honorary Oscar winner’s longtime agency, CAA, confirmed the news of his death to Deadline, adding that he died in Miami.

Less well known is the fact that the three-times married father of five children has lived in Miami Beach for the past few years.

Sutherland and his third wife, Francine Racette, bought a two-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom waterfront condo in the Portofino Tower in South Beach for $1.6 million in 2012. The couple met on the set of Alien Thunder in 1972 and had three sons: Rossif, Angus and Roeg.

In 2018, while promoting his dramedy with Helen Mirren, “The Leisure Seeker,” Sutherland specifically asked a reporter to meet him at Smith & Wollensky, one of his favorite steakhouses in the SoFi neighborhood. During the interview, he stared at the water and mentioned how much he and his wife loved living in the area and trying new restaurants.

The tall, slim leading man was first married to 1920s child star Lois May Hardwick and then to Shirley Douglas, the daughter of Canadian politician Tommy Douglas, with whom he had Kiefer and his twin sister Rachel.

Profile picture of Madeleine Marr

Celebrity and real-time news reporter Madeleine Marr has been with the Miami Herald since 2003. She has covered topics ranging from travel to fashion and food. In 2007, she helped launch the paper’s daily People Page, attended red carpet events, awards shows and press conferences, interviewed some of the biggest names in show business and hosted her own online show. Originally from New York City, she has two daughters.