Screen legend, director, author and philanthropist Kirk Douglas has passed away, aged 103.
The Hollywood icon who rose to fame in the 1940s and was well-known for a number of roles including “Spartacus” in the 1960 epic of the same name, had an illustrious career spanning over six decades.
His son and fellow Hollywood actor Michael Douglas announced the news of his death on Instagram:
“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103. To the world he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for al of us to aspire to,” Michael writes.
“But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.”
“Kirk’s life was well lived and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet,” he continues.
Daughter-in-law Catherine Zeta-Jones has also paid tribute to Kirk Douglas in a social media post saying, “I shall love you for the rest of my life. I miss you already. Sleep tight.”
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To my darling Kirk, I shall love you for the rest of my life. I miss you already. Sleep tight…

Kirk Douglas with family members (Photo: @michaelkirkdouglas/Instagram)
Throughout his career, Douglas was involved in philanthropic work including donating funds to establish a centre for homeless women in Los Angeles, making a $2.3 million donation to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and providing $15 million to build an Alzheimer’s care centre.
(Featured image above: KirkDouglasZubinMehtaMar11.jpg: Angela George at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharongraphics/derivative work: César [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]