Sir Christopher Lee, who portrayed Saruman in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies and regularly released metal-themed Christmas albums, has died. He was 93.
Lee was hospitalized for respiratory problems and heart failure and died Sunday in London, according to The Guardian.
The news was only released today because Lee's wife of 50 years wanted to speak with family first.
Lee is also known for his roles as Dracula and as a Bond villain in 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun. He also played a lead role in 1973's The Wicker Man.
Star Wars fans may also recall that Lee played Count Dooku in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
You can read more about Lee's life in The Guardian's full story.
The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, shared his thoughts on Lee's passing.
Really sad to hear about the death of Christopher Lee, one of the greatest British actors and a master of the macabre pic.twitter.com/q5UUhc7xId
— Boris Johnson (@MayorofLondon) June 11, 2015