Andy Whitfield, star of Spartacus:Blood and Sand Died

A short 18 months after his cancer diagnosis, Whitfield died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma on 11 September 2011. The actor's manager, Sam Maydew, and Whitfield's wife, Vashti, issued a statement confirming his death in Sydney, Australia, 'surrounded by his family'. In her statement, Vashti said: "On a beautiful sunny Sydney morning, surrounded by his family, in the arms of his loving wife, our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18-month battle with lymphoma cancer."He is survived by his wife and two children.“He passed peacefully surrounded by love,

Born	17 July 1972 Amlwch, Wales
Died	11 September 2011 (aged 39) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Actor, model
Years active	2004–2011
Spouse	Terrica Smith-Whitfield (m. 1999–2003) Vashti Whitfield
Children	2

Andy originally played the title role in the gladiator series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. When he was first diagnosed with stage 1 non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in March 2010, Starz decided to produce a six-episode prequel series, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, allowing Andy time off to recover. He was declared cancer-free just two months later, and even boasted about his good health at Comic-Con last summer:
“I feel better than ever,” he said in July 2010 during the Spartacus panel at San Diego Comic-Con. “Like, seriously, I feel like I’m 10 years younger. I had a good rest.”
But in Sept. 2010, Starz announced Andy wouldn’t be returning to Spartacus after all, as his cancer returned and he needed to seek “aggressive treatment.” He was replaced by Australian actor Liam McIntyre.

Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht says
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague. [The] man who played a champion on-screen was also a champion in his own life. Andy was an inspiration to all of us as he faced this very personal battle with courage, strength and grace. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”

 REST IN PEACE ANDY