Hourly Notes: spartacus star dies

FAMILY and friends of Welsh actor Andy Whitfield have paid emotional tributes to the Spartacus star after he died of cancer aged 39. The father of two young children was a complete unknown before landing the title role of the rebellious Thracian slave in US TV series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, a role made famous by Catherine Zeta-Jones’ father-in-law Kirk Douglas in the 1960 Stanley Kubrick film. His wife Vashti yesterday paid tribute to her “beautiful young warrior” who died on a “sunny Sydney morning” in the “arms of his loving wife”. Godspeed, Andy!” Twilight heartthrob Kellan Lutz also paid tribute, tweeting: “Just landed & read abt Andy Whitfield passing away. Tragic, such an amazing actor. RIP.” Whitfield left Anglesey to study at Sheffield University before moving to Australia to study drama in Sydney and work as a diagnostic engineer.