Ian Gelder, who played Kevan Lannister, the younger brother of Lord Tywin Lannister, in twelve episodes of Game of Thrones, has passed away. He was 74. The news of his demise was announced via Instagram by his husband, Ben Daniels, on Tuesday, May 7.
“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,” Daniels’ Instagram post read while informing, “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.”
Husband’s tribute to Ian Gelder – ‘My absolute rock’
“He was my absolute rock and we’d been partners for more than 30 years. If we weren’t together we spoke to each other everyday. He was the kindest, most generous spirited and loving human being,” Daniels continued in his aforementioned post, adding that Gelder was also a “wonderful, wonderful actor, and everyone who worked with him was touched by his heart and light.”
“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 missed.”
Daniels’ announcement of Gelder’s death came with a photo of the two at Christmas, which he shared was taken after Gelder had gotten out of the hospital and experienced “the worst three weeks.”
Ian Gelder on-screen — Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, and more
Per his IMDb page, Gelder appeared in 12 episodes of Game of Thrones. He also made appearances on Doctor Who, Fifteen-Love, Torchwood, Snatch, His Dark Materials, The Bill, and more.
Gelder was next set to appear as a vampire named Santiago in Interview With the Vampire, premiering next Sunday, May 12 on AMC. He was also to appear in Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 debuting later this year.
Gelder’s agent, confirming the news of the actor’s death to People, remembered him as “a beautiful man” and “a fine actor” and someone who “will be hugely missed by his colleagues and all those that loved him.”
