James Garner has passed away aged 86. The late actor, who was best known for his role in TV show The Rockford Files and most recently in The Notebook, died in his home in Los Angeles. His cause of death is not yet known, but James had been suffering ill health since 2008 after he had a stroke.
© Photo: Getty ImagesJames Garner is survived by his wife Lois Clarke, who he married 14 days after they met
The Oklahoma-born actor, who won an Emmy in 1977 for his character portrayal of Jim Rockford, starred in several other television series in a career that spanned more than five decades. He also acted in over 50 films.
One of James' later ventures was filming on 8 Simple Rules alongside Kaley Cuoco, where he played Grandpa Jim. The actress paid tribute to the late star by posting a couple of photographs on Instagram.
"This is all I can think about right now. Love you, Grampa Jim," Kaley captioned one, while she wrote a lengthier message alongside another snap of James from his earlier days."Well I woke up with a broken heart today," she posted. "The world has lost a legend. James Garner was a gift to our business and an example of honesty and pure class. It was an honor to have worked beside him and receive his bear hugs every day. I love you gramps."
James Garner and Kaley Cuoco (far right) worked together on 8 Simple Rules
James received a Screen Actor's Guild lifetime achievement award in 2005, and was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his longstanding contribution to the world of cinema. He was also nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for hit comedy Murphy's Romance, as well as being in the running for nine Golden Globes for shows including The Rockford Files and Maverick.
© Photo: Getty ImagesJames Garner and his co-star Gena Rowlands from The Notebook
The actor is survived by his wife Lois Clarke, whom he wed 14 days after meeting, and their daughter Gigi, and his other daughter Kim from a previous marriage. James and Lois met at an "Adlai Stevenson for President" rally in 1956 and married soon after in August. "We went to dinner every night for 14 nights," James had previously said about the love of his life. "I was just absolutely nuts about her. I spent £45 on our honeymoon, and it about broke me."
