Darren Shahlavi, martial arts star, stuntman and actor, has died at the age of 42.

Darren Shahlavi DEAD

Shahlavi was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Jan. 14, and sources have revealed that police suspect he died of an overdose of prescription medication. Shahlavi reportedly had a history of drug and alcohol addiction, and the coroner will complete toxicology tests to determine the cause of death.

Shahlavi, originally from England, was a martial artist who began his career as a stuntman in Hong Kong in the ‘90s, working as both a stuntman and a fight choreographer for multiple films before slowly transitioning into bigger acting roles.

In America, Shahlavi earned small roles on the big and small screens. Shahlavi appeared as one of the first villains in the CW’s Arrow, playing Constantine Drakon in the pilot that aired in 2012. Arrow star Stephen Amell paid tribute to Shahlavi on Twitter, calling him a “great dude” and saying he was the first person Amell exchanged blows with onscreen. “Fight looked good because of him,” Amell wrote.

Shahlavi recently completed work on three films, including Kickboxer: Vengeance alongside action heavyweights Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dave Bautista and Gina Carano.

Shahlavi’s Kickboxer co-star, Alain Moussi posted a tribute to the late actor on Instagram, writing, “Thanks for all the great moments, the laughs and the advice you gave me while shooting Kickboxer. It was a privilege and honor to be on screen with you. My condolences go out to Darren’s family. I will miss you brother!”

A photo posted by Alain Moussi (@alainmoussi) on Jan 20, 2015 at 10:41am PST

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Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.