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Peter Fonda dead: Jane Fonda leads tributes to Easy Rider star

The Hollywood star said her 'sweet-hearted' brother 'went out laughing'

Jacob Stolworthy
Saturday 17 August 2019 07:32 EDT
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Peter Fonda with his sister Jane in Los Angeles, 2014
Peter Fonda with his sister Jane in Los Angeles, 2014 (Getty Images for AFI)

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Jane Fonda, sister of Hollywood star Peter Fonda, has led tributes to the Easy Rider star following his death.

In a statement following the news, the actor said: “I am very sad. He was my sweet-hearted baby brother. The talker of the family.

“I have had a beautiful alone time with him these last days.”

She said that “he went out laughing”.

The actor, who is best known for his starring role as Wyatt in 1969’s counterculture classic Easy Rider, passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles, his family said in a statement.

They said the official cause of death was respiratory failure due to lung cancer.

Other stars to pay tribute to Fonda included directors Ava DuVernay, Guillermo del Toro and John Carpenter, who called him “a movie star with a twinkle in his eyes”.

Nancy Sinatra, Fonda’s co-star in 1966 movie The Wild Angels, posted a photo of the pair on set together, writing: “Godspeed, Heavenly Blues. You will carry my heart with you wherever you may ride.”

Comedian Kathy Griffin commended Fonda for never being a “Hollywood phoney”, writing: “Every time I had the chance to run into him, he was the same guy. Not an ever-changing chameleon like so many Hollywood folks. Unbelievably giving and kind and comfortable.”

Fonda was reportedly planning a 50th anniversary concert and screening of Easy Rider in September.

Directed by Dennis Hopper and produced by Fonda for $380,000, the film – which they also co-wrote – grossed a total of $40m worldwide.

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