Legendary actor Sean Connery, best known for playing the original on-screen James Bond, has passed away. He was 90.
Sean’s son Jason Connery told the BBC on Saturday that his father died peacefully in his sleep overnight while in the Bahamas, having been “unwell for some time”.
“We are all working at understanding this huge event as it only happened so recently,” he added.
His father’s passing “a sad loss for all people around the world who enjoyed the wonderful gift he had as an actor.”
Connery, who became Sir Sean in 2000, won numerous awards during his decades-spanning career encompassing an array of big-screen hits, including an Oscar, three Golden Globes and two Bafta awards.
Connery, born in Edinburgh in 1930, enlisted in the Royal Navy aged 16 but was discharged three years later on medical grounds after suffering a stomach ulcer.
He was then a bricklayer, lifeguard, and coffin polisher, among other manual jobs, before kickstarting his acting career after a bodybuilding hobby led him to enter the Mr Universe competition.
There, a fellow competitor urged him to audition for acting parts and he soon started landing small roles.
His big break came by starring as Bond in 1962’s “Dr. No”, the franchise’s first film.
He went to play Bond in “From Russia With Love” (1963), “Goldfinger” (1964), “Thunderball” (1965), “You Only Live Twice” (1967) and “Diamonds Are Forever” (1971).
He made a comeback as the British spy in the unofficial 1983 film “Never Say Never Again”