Robert Duvall shared a touching message with his fans just months before his death aged 95.
The Hollywood legend, known for his roles in The Godfather, Apocalypse Now and his Oscar-winning role in Tender Mercies, appeared in high spirits as he shared a jovial message to his followers in November.
“To all my fans, have a happy happy Thanksgiving and a great year coming up,” he said in a Facebook clip. In a final, simple blessing to the world that had watched him for seven decades , he concluded: “God bless.”
Watch the video above.
Prior to the video message, Duvall made few public appearances in recent years.
One of his final roles was in the Netflix feature film Hustle, which he was seen filming in September 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Duvall’s final social media post was a Facebook message to his fans on February 3, where he discussed his 2003 movie Secondhand Lions.
“One day while filming Secondhand Lions, the lion got out,” Duvall joked in the post, shared just days before his death.
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“Had he turned in my direction, I wouldn’t be here today!”
“I absolutely enjoyed working on this film with director Tim McCanlies and actors Haley Joel Osment and Michael Caine,” he added.
His wife Luciana confirmed the actor’s death on his Facebook page, saying he “passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort”.
“To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller,” the statement read.
“To me, he was simply everything.”
During his career Duvall, delivered a string of iconic performances, including the iconic Tom Hagen in The Godfather and the surf-crazed Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now.
The latter earned him a BAFTA and Golden Globe, along with one of the most famous lines in movie history: “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”
Duvall proved his leading-man status by winning the Best Actor Oscar for 1983’s Tender Mercies.
He later received critical acclaim for his self-funded passion project The Apostle in 1997 and the beloved TV miniseries Lonesome Dove, which he frequently cited as his favorite role.
Duvall, who was married four times, is survived by his wife, Luciana.
He leaves behind a legacy as one of the most technically proficient and versatile performers to ever grace the screen.
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