Sam Shepard, Renowned Playwright & Actor, Dies At 73; Celebrities Pay Tribute

Sam Shepard, a legendary actor and a Pulitzer-prize-winning playwright, died on Thursday in his home in Kentucky due to complications with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 73 years old.

While Shepard was a star on the screen, his most celebrated work came on the stage, where the artist acted in and wrote shows that helped revive the Off Broadway theater movement. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1978 for his play Buried Child.

On the screen, Shepard was nominated for an Oscar for his role as aspiring astronaut Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff. Most recently, the late actor portrayed the patriarch of the secretive Rayburn family in Netflix’s Bloodline.

Throughout his nearly 50-year career, Shepard worked with countless actors, many of whom took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the passing of a legend of their industry.

“Lynn Goldsmith saw very early what we all saw later. Sam Shepard. Too soon gone,” wrote actress Jamie Lee Curtis.

Wrote director Ava DuVernay, “Sam Shepard. Whenever he came on-screen, you knew you were in good hands. A frame from “Days of Heaven.” May he rest in love.”

“Sam Shepard is one of the greats. These eyes saw so much, and he wrote of what he saw with fearless, timeless honesty. RIP maestro,” wrote House of Cards creator Beau Willimon.

“It was an honor to have known, and worked with, an absolute legend — Mr Sam Shepard. This Deputy will miss you Sheriff!” wrote Donnie Wahlberg, who stared in Purgatory alongside Shepard.

“Sam Shepard. What a titan of a human and artist,” singer Josh Groban tweeted.

Shepard is survived by his three children, Jesse, Hannah, and Walker Shepard, and his sisters, Sandy and Roxanne Rogers. He was married to actress actress Jessica Lange from 1982-2009.