RIP: Andy Whitfield

Image and text via NYT:

Andy Whitfield, who starred in the television series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" died on Sunday in Sydney, Australia. He was 39.

The cause was non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, his wife, Vashti, said in a statement.

Mr. Whitfield, who was from Wales but lived in Australia, was a relatively unknown actor until he was chosen for the series, a sex- and blood-soaked version of the early life of the Thracian gladiator who led a slave rebellion against the Roman ruling class from 73 to 71 B.C.

Mr. Whitfield took what was supposed to be a temporary leave from the show, which was an instant hit after its January 2010 debut, after a routine check-up in March of that year revealed a recurrence of cancer.