We’ve known that Hollywood legend and American cultural icon has been battling cancer for quite some time now. Still, his passing away has caused ripples of emotions all throughout the country and even the rest of the world. Paul Newman, a man looked up to by many, passed away at 83.

AFP writes:

Paul Newman, a Hollywood legend and American icon beloved for his piercing blue eyes and roguish charm, has died after losing his fight with cancer, his family said Saturday. He was 83.
Newman, whose health had been the subject of intense speculation ever since photographs of him looking frail and gaunt appeared in the press in June, passed away on Friday, a spokeswoman said.

A devastatingly handsome leading man who appeared in scores of Hollywood classics, Newman’s death relegated the US presidential election and Wall Street’s financial meltdown to second place in news bulletins Saturday.

“Our father was a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special,” Newman’s daughters said in a statement.

“Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity.”

Tributes began flowing in from around the globe, with friends, co-stars and celebrities hailing an “exemplary life.”

Robert Redford , Newman’s friend and co-star in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Sting,” led the emotional outpouring.

“There is a point where feelings go beyond words,” the 72-year-old said in a statement. “I have lost a real friend. My life — and this country — is better for his being in it.”

Though some of today’s generation may not know much about this man, those if us who witnessed his life and his work will certainly remember him for the man he was.

Originally posted on September 28, 2008 @ 7:18 am