Ron Dean, best known for appearing in films including Risky Business and The Breakfast Club has died aged 87.
The news of the actor’s death was announced by his partner, Maggie Neff.
‘He passed at exactly 4pm, after his beloved sisters had said their goodbyes,’ she shared, as reported by Variety.
‘He hung on like a warrior to say goodbye to his little sisters. Then we were alone, and in my arms, I held his hand, and he trusted me when I told him that it was alright to let go. What an honour!’
A cause of death has not yet been shared.
Born in Chicago in 1938, many of Dean’s early acting roles included playing police officers and military officials.
One of these was in 1983’s Risky Business, in which he played a detective and appeared alongside star Tom Cruise.
Two years later he also featured in another film that would become a cult classic of the 1980s – The Breakfast Club.
In that he played Mr. Clark, the father of Emilio Estevez’s Andy Clark.
Other notable credits came in Light of Day, The Fugitive, The Client, and The Dark Knight. His last film role was in 2012 romantic comedy One Small Hitch.
He also appeared in a string of TV shows including Frasier, NYPD Blue, Murder, She Wrote, ER, The West Wing, Without a Trace, Six Feet Under and Cold Case.
His most recent small screen roles were in Chicago Fire, Sense8 and Chicago P.D.
Speaking to People, Dean’s partner Neff also shared that they had been ‘kindred spirits’.
‘Our connection was instantaneous and remained so for nearly four decades. The love between us was unconditional and permanent,’ she said.
‘We locked horns many times over the years, but there was never any question that we would be there for each other in our hour of need. And we always were.’
Meanwhile director Andrew Davis, who worked with Dean on several films including The Fugitive, also paid tribute.
‘Ron Dean was my dear friend and a tremendous actor. He was the essence of what Chicago talent represented. Having a very troubled youth Ron turned his life around to have a wonderful career as a loving, decent human being and respected talent,’ he told Deadline.
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