R.I.P

‘Green Mile’ actor Duncan dead at 54: reps
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This March 26, 2000 file photo shows US actor Michael Clarke Duncan showing off his watch on his arrival at the Shrine Auditorium for the 72nd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California. Duncan, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “The Green Mile”, died September 3, 2012 in Los Angeles. Age 54, Duncan had suffered a heart attack in July and was in an intensive care unit for over a month. Photo/AFP

By AFP
Posted Tuesday, September 4 2012 at 05:40
Michael Clarke Duncan, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in “The Green Mile,” an adaptation of a Stephen King work, died Monday at age 54, his representatives said.

Duncan “passed away peacefully today,” the manager, Dan Spilo, told AFP. “He was a great man with a huge heart, and it was an honor and a privilege to represent him.”

Duncan’s girlfriend Omarosa Manigault, one-time star of the reality television show “The Apprentice,” asked for privacy through Duncan’s publicist Joy Fehily.

The actor “suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered,” Fehily said in a statement.

“Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date.”

Born in Chicago on December 10, 1957, Duncan moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career. The imposing actor, who was 6’5″ (1.96 meters), worked as a bodyguard for Will Smith and Jamie Foxx while securing smaller roles.

His breakthrough performance came when he was cast as convict John Coffey in “The Green Mile,” a man wrongly accused of child murder and rape, who has supernatural powers. Tom Hanks co-starred as a prison guard.

Beyond his Oscar nomination, Duncan also earned Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nods.

Duncan acted in about 50 films. He was notably featured in “Armageddon,” a role that was the stepping stone to his casting in “The Green Mile.”