Deliverance, Boogie Nights star Burt Reynolds dies at 82

■ The ’ 70s heartthrob suffered a heart attack ■ Hollywood pays tribute to the legend

Los Angeles: Burt Reynolds, the mustachioed heartthrob of 1970s cinema who won acclaim in Deliverance and a host of awards later in his career for Boogie Nights, died on Thursday, his family announced.

The famously suave 82year- old, a huge box office draw at his peak who had a reputation as a harddrinking playboy, reportedly suffered a heart attack and died at a hospital in Florida.

“It is with a broken heart that I said goodbye to my uncle today,” the actor’s niece Nancy Lee Hess, said in a statement. “My uncle was not just a movie icon; he was a generous, passionate and sensitive man, who was dedicated to his family, friends, fans and acting students.”

Reynolds, whose career spanned six decades, earned a Golden Globe, Oscar nomination and several critics’ awards for his portrayal of porn director Jack Horner in the 1997 film Boogie Nights.

Last year, he also drew critical acclaim for his performance in the indie movie The Last Movie Star. The actor was considered box office gold in the 1970s and early 80s with such hits as Smokey and the Bandit, Starting Over, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, films that were popular at the box office and often less popular with critics.

It was his breakout role in the 1972 thriller Deliverance that cemented his status as one of Hollywood’s leading men in the 1970s and 80s. The film — infamous for its hillbilly male rape scene — earned three Oscar nominations for best picture.

Celebs likes Mark Walhberg, Arnold Schwarzenneger and Sylvester Stallone condoled the death of the veteran actor on the social media. Actor Billy Dee Williams, also mourned the death of the actor.