‘Deliverance,’ ‘Boogie Nights’ star Burt Reynolds dies at 82

Veteran Hollywood movie star Burt Reynold, best known for his roles in ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Boogie Nights, ‘died on Thursday at the age of 82, his family announced.

Reynolds, the mustachioed megastar of 1970s cinema who won acclaim in ‘Deliverance’ and a host of awards for ‘Boogie Nights’, reportedly suffered heart attack and died at the Jupiter Medical Centre hospital in Florida, his manager Erick Kritzer said.

Reynolds, whose career spanned six decades, earned Golden Globe, Oscar nomination and several critics’ awards when he portrayed porn director Jack Horner in 1997 film ‘Boogie Nights’.

Also Read | Oscar gives thumbs-down to ‘Popular’ category award 

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film remained the No. 1 box office attraction for a stretch of five years during the late 1970s.

His hit films like ‘Smokey and Pandit’, ‘Starting Over’, and ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’ earned him a ‘box office gold’ star during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Following the news of his demised, tributes from across industry poured in on social media for the late star.

Burt Reynolds was one of my heroes. He was a trailblazer. He showed the way to transition from being an athlete to being the highest paid actor, and he always inspired me. He also had a great sense of humor - check out his Tonight Show clips. My thoughts are with his family.

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) September 6, 2018

Burt Reynolds. True legend. Our hero. Funny as hell and a for-real badass. So many great movies. So many great stories. Such a great Dad. Will be missed by all. Deepest condolences to his family.

— Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) September 6, 2018

Very sad to hearing about the passing of Burt Reynolds. He was a great actor, a philanthropist and a pioneer of the cool mustache. Thank you, Burt. You will be missed. pic.twitter.com/nuuFWMSnJg

— Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey) September 6, 2018