Paul Newman: Dead at 83 of Cancer

Paul Newman died Friday, September 26, at his home in Westport, Connecticut, at the age of 83 of cancer.

It was just last month that it was announced Paul Newman had cancer and wished to spend his last days at his home surrounded by his family, which includes wife Joanne Woodward, five daughters and two grandchildren.

Paul Newman's first movie was "The Silver Chalice" in 1954, but his first hit as an actor came in 1956 when he starred as boxer Rocky Graziano in "Somebody Up There Likes Me". Newman went on to star in more than twenty movies, including "Cool Hand Luke" in 1967, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" in 1969, and "Mr. And Mrs. Bridge" in 1990, in which he co-starred with his wife, Joanne Woodward.

Newman's last screen appearance was in the 2002 film "Road to Perdition" opposite Tom Hanks.

Newman announced his retirement from acting in 2007, citing memory problems and a loss of confidence. He was quoted as saying, "You can't be as old as I am without waking up with a surprised look on your face every morning: 'Holy Christ, whaddya know - I'm still around!' It's absolutely amazing that I survived all the booze and smoking and the cars and the career."

Other Celebrity Cancer Deaths

Cancer doesn't discriminate, and other celebrities have succumbed to cancer.

John Wayne, who reigned the silver screen from 1940s - 1970s, died in 1979 from stomach cancer. Comedian Nipsy Russell died in 2005 from stomach cancer also.

Dana Reeves, wife of Christopher Reeves, and Peter Jennings, ABC Anchorman, both died in 2005 from lung cancer. Gilligan's Island's Bob Denver succumbed to throat cancer that same year.

Canadian jazz and blue-rock guitarist Jeff Healey died March 2, 2008, at age 41 after a life-long battle with retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the eyes. He was best known for his hit "Angel Eyes".

Most recently, Richard Wright, founding member of the band Pink Floyd, died September 15, 2008, after battling cancer.

Celebrity Deaths in 2008

With Paul Newman as the most recent celebrity loss, fans have also had to mourn the deaths of Brad Renfro (January 15), Suzanne Pleshette (January 19), Heath Ledger (January 22), Tim Russert (June 14), George Carlin (June 22), Estelle Getty (July 22), Isaac Hayes (August 10) and Bernie Mac (August 9).

Sources:

"Paul Newman dies at 83", CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/27/paul.newman.dead/index.html

"Paul Newman", Wikipedia.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Newman

"Paul Newman Said to Have Cancer, Wanting to Die at Home with Family", AssociatedContent.com
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/957557/paul_newman_said_to_have_cancer_wanting.html?cat=40

"In Memoriam: Celebrities We Lost to Cancer in 2005", About.com
http://cancer.about.com/od/celebritytributes/p/cancerdeaths200.htm

"Celebrity Cancer Tributes", About.com
http://cancer.about.com/od/celebritiesandcancer/Celebrity_Cancer_Tributes.htm

"John Wayne", Wikipedia.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wayne

"2008 Celebrity Deaths", wbztv.com
http://wbztv.com/slideshows/celebrity.deaths.2008.20.750647.html?rid=32