RIP Bob Hoskins, Gone to that Great Toontown In the Sky

Is it bad that my first thought on hearing Bob Hoskins has passed away was “No! Mario!” Yeah, it’s bad. I know.

Hoskins, 71, passed away Tuesday night following a bout with pneumonia. Fans falling within a certain age bracket may associate him with Super Mario Bros.—which, let’s face it, is a pretty memorable movie—and the excellent (no sarcasm here) Hook, but the legendary actor has many more, shall we say, distinguished roles under his belt. He was nominated for an Oscar for the 1986 noir romance Mona Lisa and racked up three Golden Globes noms as well, for Mona Lisa, Mrs Henderson Presents, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Hoskins retired from acting last year after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s; his last role was in Snow White and the Huntsman.

“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Bob,” says his wife Linda and children Alex, Sarah, Rosa, and Jack in a statement. “We ask that you respect our privacy during this time and thank you for your messages of love and support.”

Not good news to wake up to. Partial as I am to all things sci-fi, I’ll always love Hoskins in Brazil, where he played a conniving Central Services engineer. Let’s all watch a clip and be sad:

To paraphrase Susana, this people dying bullcrap is getting out of hand. Someone had better figure out the secret to immortality before it’s Sir Ian McKellen‘s time to go.

(via: Geekosystem)

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