Just breaking on Fox.....

http://www.digitalhit.com/sag/10/sag04-38.jpg

Just breaking on Fox.....

http://www.digitalhit.com/sag/10/sag04-38.jpg

Wow :rip:

Wow

I'm shocked. I never watched The West Wing but I remember him on LA Law. :(

Sad news... I loved him on LA Law.

Here's the release (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051216/ap_en_tv/obit_spencer)

'West Wing' Actor John Spencer Dies at 58 6 minutes ago



John Spencer, who played vice presidential candidate Leo McGarry on NBC's "The West Wing," died of a heart attack Friday, his publicist said.

Spencer, 58, died at a Los Angeles hospital, said his publicist, Ron Hofmann. The death was first reported by the syndicated program "The Insider."

Hofmann released no other immediate details.

Wow...anyone have a picture? I think I know who it is, but not 100% sure.

John Spencer, the Emmy-winning actor best known for starring roles in such popular television series as "The West Wing," and "L.A. Law" has passed away at 58 after suffering a heart attack in the morning of December 16. Service and funeral arrangements have not been determined at this time.
The versatile character actor is perhaps best known for his role as Chief of Staff Leo McGarry on "The West Wing." His work on the show was rewarded with an Emmy Award win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2002 and nominations in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004. He also received a Golden Globe nomination for his role as LeoLeo. Earlier noted work includes his portrayal of the quirky and charismatic New York attorney Tommy Mullaney on "L.A. Law."

Wow...anyone have a picture? I think I know who it is, but not 100% sure.

http://westwing.bewarne.com/fourth/images/1WESan02leo.jpg.

I cannot believe this. I randomly checked CNN.com and saw John Spencer's name on the breaking news banner. He was such a fantastic actor and will be missed.

wow, that's sad and unexpected. I never watched West Wing but he seemed like a really nice guy when he was on Ellen awhile back, a real down-to-earth guy, what a shock.

Oh, no... this is such sad news.. He did such an excellent job on The West Wing... :(

'West Wing' Actor John Spencer Dies at 58
Friday December 16 6:29 PM ET

John Spencer, who played a dedicated politico on "The West Wing" who survived a serious illness to run for vice president, died of a heart attack Friday, his publicist said. Spencer, 58, died at a Los Angeles hospital, said publicist Ron Hofmann. He would have been 59 next week.

Spencer played Leo McGarry, the chief of staff to President Jeb Bartlet (Martin Sheen) through the first few seasons of the NBC series. In a sad parallel to life, his character suffered a heart attack that forced him to give up his White House job.

The character recovered and was picked as a running mate for Democratic presidential contender Matt Santos, played by Jimmy Smits; the campaign has been a central theme this season for the drama.

Spencer, who also starred on "L.A. Law" as attorney Tommy Mullaney, received an Emmy Award for his performance on "The West Wing" in 2002 and was nominated four other times for the drama.

The actor mirrored his character in several ways: both were recovering alcoholics and both, Spencer once said, were driven.

"Like Leo, I've always been a workaholic, too," he told The Associated Press in a 2000 interview. "Through good times and bad, acting has been my escape, my joy, my nourishment. The drug for me, even better than alcohol, was acting."

Spencer grew up in Paterson, N.J., the son of blue-collar parents. With his enrollment at the Professional Children's School in Manhattan, he was sharing classes with the likes of Liza Minnelli and budding violinist Pinchas Zukerman.

As a teenager, Spencer landed a recurring role on "The Patty Duke Show" as the boyfriend of English twin Cathy. Stage and film work followed. Then his big break: playing Harrison Ford's detective sidekick in the 1990 courtroom thriller "Presumed Innocent." That role led to his hiring for the final four years of "L.A. Law."

Service and funeral arrangements were pending, Hofmann said.

http://tv.yahoo.com/news/ap/20051216/113478654000.html (http://tv.yahoo.com/news/ap/20051216/113478654000.html)

'West Wing' Actor John Spencer Dies at 58

LOS ANGELES (AP) - John Spencer, who played a tough and dedicated politico on "The West Wing" who survived a serious illness to run for vice president, died of a heart attack Friday. He was 58.

Spencer died at a Los Angeles hospital, said his publicist, Ron Hofmann. He would have been 59 next week.

Spencer played Leo McGarry, the savvy and powerful chief of staff to President Jeb Bartlet (Martin Sheen), on the NBC series. In a sad parallel to life, Spencer's character suffered a heart attack that forced him to give up his White House job.

The character recovered and was picked as a running mate for Democratic presidential contender Matt Santos, played by Jimmy Smits; the campaign against Republican Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) has been a central theme for the drama this season.

"We're shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden death of our friend and colleague," Aaron Sorkin, who created the series, and Tommy Schlamme, one of the original executive producers, said in a joint statement.

"John was an uncommonly good man, an exceptional role model and a brilliant actor. We feel privileged to have known him and worked with him. He'll be missed and remembered every day by his many, many friends," they said.
Series executive producer John Wells remembered Spencer not only for his acting but as "a generous and gracious friend."

NBC and producer Warner Bros. Television issued a statement mourning Spencer's death and calling him a "remarkable man with enormous talent." The companies did not address how his loss would affect the Emmy Award-winning series, in production on its seventh season.

Spencer, who also starred on "L.A. Law" as attorney Tommy Mullaney, received an Emmy Award for his performance on "The West Wing" in 2002 and was nominated four other times for the series.

http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/thumbnails//OBIT_SPENCER.sff_LA106_20051216190416.jpg (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20051216/OBIT_SPENCER.sff_LA106_20051216190416.html?date=20051217&docid=D8EHLI4G4)
(AP) This recent publicity photo provided by NBC shows actor John Spencer as Leo McGarry on the set of...
Full Image (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20051216/OBIT_SPENCER.sff_LA106_20051216190416.html?date=20051217&docid=D8EHLI4G4)

The actor, whose world-weary countenance was perfect for the role of McGarry, mirrored his character in several ways: both were recovering alcoholics and both, Spencer once said, were driven.

"Like Leo, I've always been a workaholic, too," he told The Associated Press in a 2000 interview. "Through good times and bad, acting has been my escape, my joy, my nourishment. The drug for me, even better than alcohol, was acting."

Spencer grew up in Paterson, N.J., the son of blue-collar parents. With his enrollment at the Professional Children's School in Manhattan at age 16, he was sharing classes with the likes of Liza Minnelli and budding violinist Pinchas Zukerman.

As a teenager, he landed a recurring role on "The Patty Duke Show" as the boyfriend of English twin Cathy. Stage and film work followed. Then his big break: playing Harrison Ford's detective sidekick in the 1990 courtroom thriller "Presumed Innocent." That role led to his hiring for the final four years of "L.A. Law."

Spencer played a streetwise lawyer on the David E. Kelley drama that was in sharp contrast to the show's otherwise glamorous cast and setting.
http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/thumbnails//OBIT_SPENCER.sff_LA105_20051216190010.jpg (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20051216/OBIT_SPENCER.sff_LA105_20051216190010.html?date=20051217&docid=D8EHLI4G4)
(AP) The cast of "The West Wing" pose for photographers at the 52nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los...
Full Image (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20051216/OBIT_SPENCER.sff_LA105_20051216190010.html?date=20051217&docid=D8EHLI4G4)

After attending the Manhattan performing arts school, Spencer studied at Fairleigh Dickenson University. He then began working on stage in New York and in regional theaters, in plays including David Mamet's "Lakeboat" and Tennessee Williams'"The Glass Menagerie."

Spencer won an Obie Award for the 1981 off-Broadway production of "Still Life," about a Vietnam veteran, and received a Drama Desk nomination for "The Day Room."

His made his feature film debut with a small role in "War Games," which was followed by roles in "Sea of Love" and "Black Rain." Spencer said his work in "Presumed Innocent" represented a "watershed role."

In recent years, he worked on both studio and independent films, including "The Rock,""The Negotiator,""Albino Alligator,""Lesser Prophets" and "Cold Heart." Service and funeral arrangements were pending, Hofmann said.

This is sad news. I just got home from Dinner, turned on the TV and they said sad news to report and I was like "WHAT, OH NO." ANd right before Christmas too. This is sooooo sad for the family and the west wing cast. He will be missed. He looked healthy when I saw him on tv and award shows, et.,

I was a little surprised to learn of his age, I always thought he was around my fathers age (70)

Gee...I wonder what The West Wing will do now. I don't watch it either, but it sounds like they just lost an essential character.

Sad...only 58.

Tragic. We did a little piece on this on the news blog:
http://sitcomsonline.blogspot.com/2005/12/your-top-10-perfect-strangers-episodes.html

OMG. I'm a religious West Wing fan. This is sad. :(

Wow, only 58 years old. :rip: John Spencer

RIP.

OMG..........John and Stockard were the reason i stated to watch The West Wing...he was sooo talented and his voice was one of the things i loved about him...and of course his amazing smile.......i will defintally miss him and my prays are with his friends and family

John Spencer RIP

Gee...I wonder what The West Wing will do now. I don't watch it either, but it sounds like they just lost an essential character.


They'll have to come up with a storyline about Matthew Santos replacing Leo with another running mate. Only one vice presidential candidate - incumbent Vice President James Sherman, who served under President Taft - has died during a campaign. Sherman died on October 30, 1912, six days before the 1912 election - which Taft lost, so Sherman was never replaced. SO "The West Wing"'s writers will be trodding through uncharted territory here.

Sad...only 58.

Indeed. . . . :(

one thing that really makes the death so shocking is because the show is still going and he's been a constant fixture guest on Ellen, Regis & Kelly, etc.... While for example, I was more upset at Richard Pryor's passing last week because I was a fan of his (I've never watched West Wing even though Spencer always came off as a really nice guy in interviews), he has been sick for years and has been out of the public eye for over a decade and his death wasn't that surprising, though it was sad, Spencer's death kinda reminds me of how sad and shocking Ritter's death was when it happened, as Ritter was currently doing a television series and kept a high public profile in the months leading up to his death.

God rest his soul. I never watched the show, but I saw him on other things and he was too young to die.:(