Paul Newman Dies, 83

American actor and cultural icon, Paul Newman passed away last Friday, September 26 after battling cancer.

He died at his home near Westport, Conn.

Newman is known for such films as The Color of Money, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting and Road to Perdition among his scores of other hits.

Newman was a co-founder of Newman’s Own, a food company from which Newman donated all profits and royalties to charity. As of May 2007, these donations had exceeded US$220 million.

Newman’s colleauges in Hollywood mourned his passing. Here are some excerpts as posted via Yahoo.

“He set the bar too high for the rest of us. Not just actors, but all of us.” —George Clooney

“He was my hero.” —Julia Roberts

“There is a point where feelings go beyond words. I have lost a real friend. My life—and this country—is better for his being in it.” —Robert Redford

In June 2008 it was widely reported that Newman, a former chain smoker, had been diagnosed with lung cancer and was receiving treatment at Sloan-Kettering hospital in New York City.

You will be missed, sir. Rest in Peace.