Bernard Hill, best known for appearing in Lord of the Rings and 1997 blockbuster Titanic, has sadly died. His agent confirmed the news, with a statement from his family expected to follow

Lord of the Rings star Bernard Hill has died at the age of 79.

His agent Lou Coulson confirmed the news on Sunday (May 5), stating Bernard died in the early hours of the morning. A longer statement from his family is expected.

Hill was best known for playing doomed Captain Edward Smith in 1997 blockbuster Titanic, which went on to score big at the Oscars. He was also known as King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Over his incredible career, Bernard scooped 11 Academy Awards after starting his career in Boys from the Blackstuff.

Now tributes are flooding in online, with one X user writing: “Very sad to hear of the death of Bernard Hill, creator of the most powerful performance of the 80s.”

Someone else said: “Rest in Peace Bernard Hill – the man responsible for THE most iconic scene in cinematic history. A sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now, ride now, ride to Gondor!”

Another account said: “We’re heartbroken to hear the news of Bernard Hill’s passing. A great loss. Thinking of his family at this very sad time, and wishing them a lot of strength.”

A fourth X user said: “Godspeed, Bernard Hill. Folks will be sharing memories of his various roles today, but for me, Théoden King stands alone – a standout performance in a film series full of standout performances. May his family be comforted during this difficult time.”

Singer and actress Barbara Dickson added: “It’s with great sadness that I note the death of Bernard Hill. We worked together in John Paul George Ringo and Bert, Willy Russell marvellous show 1974-1975.”

It comes after Hill slammed Amazon Prime’s revival of Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power. Asked if he’d be watching the eight-episode series, he said: “No, not interested. It’s a money-making venture and I’m not interested in watching that or being in it. Good luck to them and all that stuff but it’s not like the real thing.”

He says the franchise should have ended after the original trilogy, adding: “I think they were pushing it when they made The Hobbit. The Hobbit’s a tiny book.

“They did it well – they did it really, really well. They expanded it [but] I think you can only stretch a piece of elastic so far. I think they managed it in The Hobbit because there were some really good things in [it] without a doubt.”