HBO’s swords-and-dragons fantasy series “Game of Thrones” has chosen not to replace new cast member J.J. Murphy following the actor’s death Friday at age 86.
Murphy, who was best known as a theater actor and whose film credits include “Angela’s Ashes” and the upcoming “Dracula Untold,” had been cast as Ser Denys Mallister, the eldest member of the Night’s Watch. However, according to the Belfast Telegraph, the actor died after collapsing on Friday, mere days after shooting his first scenes for the series, which is currently filming its fifth season.
It is not known how many more scenes Murphy had left to film, but series creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff made it clear that another actor would not fill the part.
“We will not be recasting J.J. Murphy. He was a lovely man, and the best Denys Mallister we could have hoped for. And now his watch is ended,” Weiss and Benioff said in a statement.
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Murphy leaves behind his wife, Mary, and a grown family.