Lord of the Rings cast members Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan and Sean Astin, who played four Hobbits in the trilogy, are remembering Bernard Hill, who died suddenly Sunday morning at the age of 79.
Hill, who starred as King Théoden in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, was scheduled to appear at Liverpool Comic Con over the weekend, but pulled out of the event Friday.
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“We love him. He was intrepid, he was funny, he was gruff, he was irascible, he was beautiful,” said Astin, who portrays Samwise Gamgee, onstage at the London event.
Billy Boyd, who plays Pippin, added: “We were watching the movies and I said to Dom, I don’t think anyone spoke Tolkien’s words as great as Bernard did.
“He would break my heart. He will be solely missed.”
Monaghan, who portrayed Merry, wrote on Instagram, “The Broken king has passed to the grey havens but he will always be remembered.”
Wood, who portrayed Frodo, posted on X (fka Twitter): “So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill. We will never forget you. “For he was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning.”
Comic Con Liverpool paid tribute to Hill in a statement: “We’re heartbroken to hear the news of Bernard Hill’s passing. A great loss.
“Thinking of his family at this very sad time, and wishing them a lot of strength.”
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