Ian Gelder, best known for his role as Kevan Lannister in “Game of Thrones,” has died. He was 74.
Gelder’s husband, fellow actor Ben Daniels, shared the heartbreaking news on Instagram Tuesday.
Daniels, 59, revealed that Gelder was battling bile duct cancer since December.
“It is with huge huge sadness and a heavy heart broken into a million pieces that I’m leaving this post to announce the passing of my darling husband and life partner Ian Gelder,” Daniels began his post.
The British actor, who stopped working when his husband got sick, said that the couple didn’t expect Gelder to die “so fast” from the “dreadful illness.”
“He was my absolute rock and we’d been partners for more than 30 years,” Daniels wrote. “If we weren’t together we spoke to each other everyday. He was the kindest, most generous spirited and loving human being.”
“I honestly don’t know what I’ll do without him by my side,” Daniels added about his late partner. “He was remarkable and will be so missed.”
Gelder and Daniels were together since 1983.
They met on the set of the British play “Entertaining Mr. Sloane.”
Gelder played Kevan Lannister on the first six seasons of “Game of Thrones.”
Kevan was the brother of Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) and uncle of Cersei Lanniser (Lena Headey), Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), and Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage).
The character was killed alongside many others, including Margaery Tyrell, Loras Tyrell, and the High Sparrow, when Cersei blew up the Great Sept of Baelor with wildfire in the Season 6 finale.
Gelder started acting in the 1970s and worked until he was diagnosed with cancer.
In addition to “Game of Thrones,” he had roles in popular shows like “EastEnders,” “Doctor Who” and “His Dark Materials.”
Gelder will appear in the upcoming seasons of “Interview With the Vampire” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”
