Actor John Heard, best known for his role of the dad Peter McCallister in classic movie Home Alone, has died aged 72. American news website TMZ reports that the star was found dead in a hotel by the maid service. Police were reportedly called to the hotel but the actor was pronounced dead. The exact cause of death is currently unknown, but it is not considered suspicious. TMZ reveals that John’s rep said the star underwent ‘minor back surgery’ on Wednesday and he was recovering at the hotel.
Actor John Heard has sadly died
John’s death is a huge loss to the acting world, who knew him for his roles in hit films such as Big and Gladiator, as well as TV parts on The Sopranos and Miami Vice. He was best known for his father character in the Home Alone films, which was a hugely popular movie series worldwide. John leaves behind a son, John Matthew Heard, with his ex-girlfriend Melissa Leo, and two children, Max and Annika, with ex-wife Sharon Heard.
John Heard played the father in the Home Alone films
Tributes flooded in for the star on Twitter. One fan wrote: “RIP John Heard. A wonderful actor, and a very sweet man. My thoughts are with his family and friends.” A second fan said: “No matter how bad a movie or a T show was, you’d see John Heard walk into a scene and think, “Well, the next few minutes will be awesome.”
There were more words of condolence, with another follower posting: “John Heard most famous for the Home Alone films, but for me he’ll always be the “I don’t get it” ex-boyf from the film “Big”. RIP.” And one fan wrote: “RIP #johnheard – thank you for the great performances!#HOmeAlone and #Big – my faves.” .