Sam Shepard Has Sadly Died at Age 73

Rest in peace, Sam Shepard. The Black Hawk Down actor sadly died at his Kentucky home on Thursday, July 27 after complications with his ALS battle, his rep confirmed to People.

"The family requests privacy at this difficult time," the family's spokesman, Chris Boneau, said in a statement. The Oscar-nominated actor passed away close to his family, who are choosing to keep his funeral arrangements private at this time. No further details about a public memorial have been revealed at this time.

Throughout Sam's nearly 50-year career, he was most known for his roles in Black Hawk Down, Klondike, Bloodline, The Right Stuff, Swordfish, Mud, The Notebook, Safe House, and more. Although he never won an award, he received a Golden Globe nomination for Dash and Lilly and an Oscar nomination for The Right Stuff.

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And Sam wasn't just an actor — he was a writer, too! He amazingly won a Pulitzer Prize for drama back in the late 1970s for his play Buried Child, although he's written more than 40 plays over the years. He started off working off-Broadway and then on Broadway before making the move to the big screen with Brand X in the early 1970s.

Sam and Jessica.

He was also known for his longtime relationship with American Horror Story star Jessica Lange, who spoke out about their famed partnership in a previous interview. "I wouldn't call Sammy easygoing and funny, but everybody has their dark side, and he always does it with a sense of humor," she told AARP The Magazine about their relationship, which lasted from 1982 until their split in 2009.

Sam is survived by his three kids, Hannah, Samuel, and Jesse and his two sisters, Sandy and Roxanne. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this extremely difficult time.