The world was devastated when news of Sir Christopher Lee's death was announced on Thursday.
The veteran actor passed away at 8:30 AM Sunday at Chelsea and Westminister Hospital. The cause of death was heart failure and respiratory problems. Lee was 93 years old.
The actor's career spans almost seven decades, and he is best remembered for playing Dracula in several Hammer Films in the 1960's. Younger fans would know him as Count Dooku in the 'Star Wars' prequels, and as Saruman in the 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' film trilogies.
Lee's friends and fans were quick to pay tribute to the actor on social media. Samuel L. Jackson tweeted, "Christopher Lee was a kind & most gracious man, that embodied the words Gentleman & Pro. I'm enriched by my time spent with him!"
Christopher Lee was a kind & most gracious man, that embodied the words Gentleman & Pro. I'm enriched by my time spent with him!
— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) June 11, 2015
Thank you Christopher Lee for so generously sharing your magnificent talent and journey with us. — Wes Craven (@wescraven) June 11, 2015
Before there was shimmering diamond vampires, there was Christopher Lee. We shall never see his like again. A truly brilliant man. — Liam McIntyre (@Liam_J_McIntyre) June 11, 2015
In addition to being a successful actor, Lee is an accomplished opera and heavy metal singer. He released two metal albums dedicated to Charlemagne, who is actually Lee's ancestor.
The loss of friend #ChristopherLee stings. His work will live forever! Honored to have known him & worked with him. pic.twitter.com/KwjPbVu7De — Alice Cooper (@RealAliceCooper) June 12, 2015
Sir Roger Moore and Britt Eckland also posted tweets about their friend. Lee played Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film 'The Man with the Golden Gun.'
It's terribly when you lose an old friend, and Christopher Lee was one of my oldest. We first met in 1948. — Sir Roger Moore (@sirrogermoore) June 11, 2015
So sad to say good bye to my old nemesis Christopher Lee. Such a talented man and not just in movies. Love to Brigitte — Britt Ekland (@BrittEkland) June 11, 2015
James Bond author Ian Fleming is actually Lee's cousin, and the writer had initially wanted the former SaS agent to play his fictional spy. Although plans didn't push through, Lee was still cast and became one of the most popular Bond villains.
An extraordinary man and life lead, Sir Christopher Lee. You were an icon, and a towering human being with stories for days. We'll miss you. — Elijah Wood (@woodelijah) June 11, 2015
So so sorry to hear that #christopherlee has passed away. He was a fascinating person. Threw a bic pen into a tree in front of me. #legend — Dominic Monaghan (@DomsWildThings) June 11, 2015
Lee was also the only star of 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' film adaptations who actually met J.R.R. Tolkien. The actor was a big fan of the writer and had initially auditioned for the role of Gandalf.
There were several rumors surrounding the late actor. There were speculations that he owned a library of 20,000 occult books, which he denied.
Lee is survived by his wife of 54 years, Lady Birgit Krøncke Lee, as well as his daughter Christina Erika Carandini Lee.
