Actor Ian Gelder Of “Game Of Thrones” Passes Away At 74
Ian Gelder, a distinguished actor best known for his role as Kevan Lannister in Game of Thrones, has passed away at the age of 74, after a battle with bile duct cancer. His death was confirmed by his agent and announced on Instagram by his husband of over 30 years, Ben Daniels.
Ben shared the heartbreaking news on Tuesday, revealing that Ian had been diagnosed in December and sadly, passed away yesterday at 13:07.
“It is with huge huge sadness and a heavy heart broken into a million pieces that I’m leaving this post to announce the passing of my darling husband and life partner Ian Gelder. Ian was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in December and yesterday he passed at 13.07. I’d stopped all work to be his carer but neither of us had any idea that it would all be so fast,” Ben wrote. He also expressed his deep personal loss, describing Ian as his “absolute rock” and the “kindest, most generous-spirited and loving human being” he knew.
“I honestly don’t know what I’ll do without him by my side. He coped with his dreadful illness with such bravery, with no self pity. Ever. He was remarkable and will be so missed,” Ben added.
Ian’s career was marked by a series of notable roles not only in Game of Thrones but also in other significant series like Doctor Who, His Dark Materials, and Fifteen-Love. According to his IMDb profile, Ian’s remarkable talent had also landed him upcoming roles in the much-anticipated Interview With the Vampire on AMC and in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Prime Video.
Ben’s touching tribute included a reflection on their last Christmas together, after Ian had just been released from a challenging hospital stay. “If we weren’t together, we spoke to each other every day,” Ben recalled, noting Ian’s tremendous impact as both a person and a performer:
Ben also added that the actor was “a wonderful, wonderful actor, and everyone who worked with him was touched by his heart and light.”
DMA management, representing Ian, echoed these sentiments in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, noting, “the world will be a lesser place without him in it.”
