Blake's 7 star Gareth Thomas dies at age 71
- ️Thu Apr 14 2016
Blake's 7 star Gareth Thomas has died at the age of 71.
A message on the Blake's 7 website announced that Thomas had succumbed to heart failure early on Wednesday (April 13).
"Our thoughts are with his wife Linda, and his family and friends," the Blake's 7 post concluded.
Gareth Thomas most famously played the intergalactic resistance leader Roj Blake in the beloved BBC space opera Blake's 7.
His 1981 departure from the series named after his character proved highly controversial as Thomas insisted the hero meet a grisly death.
[Gareth Thomas in ITV's 1977 series Children of the Stones]
Along with Doctor Who, Blake's 7 defined a golden age of science fiction at the BBC with its struggle between the evil Terran Federation and the Liberator crew.
His long and impressive resume also includes major appearances in Torchwood, Heartbeat, Distant Shores,Children of the Stones and even Coronation Street.
Thomas was mourned on Twitter by members of the sci-fi community;
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.