Hollywood is in mourning this week after the death of beloved actor Brian Dennehy, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 81.

Daily Mail reported that the death of Dennehy, who was known for appearing in movies like Tommy Boy and Cocoon, was confirmed by his family. They said he passed away at his home in Connecticut of natural causes.

It is with heavy hearts we announce that our father, Brian passed away last night from natural causes, not Covid-related,” said his daughter Elizabeth Dennehy. “Larger than life, generous to a fault, a proud and devoted father and grandfather, he will be missed by his wife Jennifer, family and many friends.”

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Dennehy got his start on television in the 1970s before he launched a successful movie career. He also found success on Broadway, winning the Tony for Best Actor in 2003 for his work in “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” according to NBC News. One of his best known stage performances was as Willy Lohman in the 1999 Broadway production of “Death Of A Salesman,” which Broadway megastar Lin-Manuel Miranda described as “heartbreaking.”

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“Was lucky enough to see Brian Dennehy twice on stage, masterful in ‘Love Letters,’ and monumentally heartbreaking in ‘Death Of A Salesman.’ A colossus. What a loss,” tweeted Miranda, the writer and star of the hit show “Hamilton.”

While Dennehy was given great accolades later in his career, it took a long time for him to get there, as he did not get his big break on the television show “Kojak” until he was nearly 40. In a 2018 interview with the AV Club, Dennehy discussed his early days in film and his journey to stardom.

“I was really just starting out, and I was doing other jobs. I drove a truck, and I worked as a bartender in a lot of different places,” he explained. “But I was trying to be an actor. And then all of the sudden, after 10 years, somebody turned the switch some place. I had been available for a long time, but no one took advantage of that. Then all of the sudden, it got crowded. I started doing a lot of stuff. But better to work than not to work. I barely remember working on Kojak”

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Rest in peace, Brian Dennehy!

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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