FILM LEGEND BURT DEAD AT 82
Hollywood in mourning after iconic sex symbol suffers heart attack
HOLLYWOOD hellraiser Burt Reynolds has died after a heart attack at the age of 82.
The Smokey and the Bandit sex symbol – who dated a string of movie queens, from Farrah Fawcett to Goldie Hawn – had become a recluse.
Actor Wesley Snipes led tributes saying: “Meeting you was one of the greater joys…10-4 Bandit, you’ve got nothing but open road now.”
smash hit Smokey and the Bandit, which proved to be his most successful film.
Always with a wink, Reynolds shone in many action films – often doing his own stunts – and also in such romantic comedies as Starting Over in 1979 opposite Jill Clayburgh and Candice Bergen.
He brought the 70s to a successful close with the action film Hooper and the urbane comedy Starting Over, before beginning the 80s with a popular sequel to Smokey.
Over the next few years, there were hits such as Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Best Friends and City Heat, as well as audience-friendly films such as Rough Cut and Sharky’s Machine.
Blake Edwards also cast him in the American remake of The Man Who Loved Women in 1983 with Julie Andrews.
But after riding the wave of popularity, a messy, high-profile second divorce and custody battle with Loni Anderson in the early 1990s saw his career falter.
In his 1994 tell-almost-all autobiography, My Life, he was cast in a negative light, not helped by his understandable, but often irritable attitude toward the press.
He sought solace from a string of female celebrities including Chris Evert, Dinah Shore and Tammy Wynette – but it was Sally Field who seemed to leave a lasting impression. In 2015, while making the rounds to support his second memoir, the actor discussed his failed relationship with Field, whom he called the “love of his life”. By now the medallion man image had gone out of fashion and as his days as a serial womaniser ended when he was rumoured to have Aids. His career nosedived. The truth was that in 1984 he had broken his jaw doing a stunt in cop drama City Heat.
Unable to eat, he lost 40lbs and that sparked the Aids gossip.
He told the Mirror: “I was an a**hole. When all the Aids stuff came out, you’re going to get swallowed up by everything. I made some stupid mistakes and I haven’t been the nicest guy in the world about keeping my mouth shut about women.”
He is survived by adopted son Quinton, 30, from his second marriage to Anderson.
Last night Arnold Schwarzenegger said: “Burt Reynolds was one of my heroes. He was a trailblazer and he always inspired me.”
Dolly Parton, who starred with Reynolds in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, said: “We will always remember his funny laugh, that mischievous sparkle in his eyes, and his quirky sense of humour.
“You will always be my favourite sheriff.”
Sly Stallone said: “A sad day, my friend Burt Reynolds has passed away.”
Wesley Snipes said: “Meeting you was one of the greater joys of my adult life...10-4 Bandit, you’ve got nothing but open road now – love, WS.”