J.J. Murphy, the Northern Ireland actor who was in the midst of filming scenes for Game of Thrones' fifth season, has died. He was 86.

J.J. Murphy Dies

Murphy died on Friday after collapsing just days after shooting his first scenes for Game of Thrones, reported the Belfast Telegraph. Murphy had been cast as Ser Denys Mallister, the oldest member of the Night’s Watch and was filming his part in his native Northern Ireland.

Upon learning of Murphy’s death, Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff have decided not to recast the role of Ser Denys Mallister.

“We will not be recasting J.J. Murphy,” Weiss and Benioff said in a statement, according to Entertainment Weekly. “He was a lovely man, and the best Denys Mallister we could have hoped for. And now his watch is ended.”

Murphy, primarily a theater actor, is best known for film roles in Cal (1984) and Angela’s Ashes (1999). He will appear on the big screen again as the Village Elder in Dracula Untold, which hits theaters Oct. 17.

Murphy’s theater career began in 1948 when he started at the Ulster Group Theatre School. He went on to work for a number of years at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, acting alongside Game of Thrones' Ciaran Hinds and Liam Neeson.

Murphy is survived by his wife Mary and their children.