According to a report by NBC, actor Paul Newman has died at the age of 83.
This was revealed by Newman's spokeswoman, Marla Tomljanovic who revealed that Newman died after a long battle with cancer at the age of 83.
Newman was fondly remembered by friends and colleagues.
According to Joe Scozzafava, an extra on “Empire Falls”, a movie in which Newman acted, “My band was in the movie. We played in the wedding reception scene. Our scene was just a minute or two long at the most and we were there shooting for an entire day. To see how all the pieces are made (and) how it all goes together, that was very exciting for us, that was great fun”. This isn't a reflection specifically on Newman! It's a reflection on Empire Falls, the movie!
Newman also lined up alongside his wife, Joanne, an Oscar winner for her role in the 1957 film “Three Faces of Eve”, who survives him along with 5 children, 2 grandchildren and an brother, Arthur. So what does Newman's family have to say about him?
According to his daughters' statement, Newman was “a rare symbol of selfless humility and the last to admit that he was doing something special”. In other words, according to his daughters, Newman was always HUMBLE.
The statement also read: “Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure, in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity. Always and to the end, Dad was incredibly grateful for his good fortune. In his own words, "It"s been a privilege to be here'. He will be profoundly missed by those whose lives he touched, but he leaves us with incredible inspiration to draw upon. During this difficult time, we ask for privacy for our family”.
Fellow star Robert Redford, who co-starred with Newman in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Sting”, their two best movies, was struggling for words, but said that his own life, along with America, are “better for his being in it”.
Another colleague and co-star, Sally Field, who worked with Newman in “Absence of Malice, went further: “Sometimes, God makes perfect people and Paul Newman was one of them”.
Residents of Skohegan, outside New Haven, Connecticut, where Newman lived, also poured in tributes.
According to Maryann Shaw, “He waved, he was very friendly. He was always a great star of mine”.
According to Duane Burbank, owner of Skohegan Fleurist, featured throughout one of Newman's movies, “You can see the emotion in him, too, how much he cared about what he did. If he didn't like something, he didn't like it. He was truthful about that too. That was another good thing about him; you knew where he was coming from”. In other words, according to Burbank, Newman always spoke his mind and didn't just blindly follow what others were saying or telling him.
So what does this great man, who rejected Hollywood at one point in his career, have to say for himself? “I think that humor is the only thing that keeps me sane”.
So, Newman will be remembered for his sense of humor, his ability to speak his mind even when others disagreed and how much he loved his family.
