Art & Entertainment

M. Emmet Walsh, ‘Blood Simple’ And ‘Blade Runner’ Star, Dies Of Cardiac Arrest At The Age Of 88

M. Emmet Walsh passed away due to cardiac arrest at Kerbs Memorial Hospital in St. Albans, Vermont.

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File photo of M. Emmet Walsh from 2014 Photo: John Shearer/Invision/AP
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M. Emmet Walsh, star of ‘Blood Simple’ and ‘Blade Runner’, passed away on Tuesday, March 19 at the age of 88. His death was confirmed by his manager, who told Fox News Digital that he breathed his last after a cardiac arrest at Kerbs Memorial Hospital in St. Albans, Vermont. The actor had a career spanning six decades, on stage, film and television. 

"Walsh’s tremendous body of work includes 119 feature films and more than 250 television productions," his manager said in a statement. "Among his most recent credits are his scene-stealing performance as the elderly security guard in Rian Johnson’s murder-mystery comedy ‘Knives Out' and roles in ‘Brothers’ with Brendan Fraser for Legendary Films, the independent feature ‘God Loves the Green Bay Packers' and ‘The Righteous Gemstones’ for HBO,” it added. 

For those caught unaware, Walsh was born in Ogdensburg, New York, on March 22, but was raised in rural Swanton, Vermont, by his parents Agnes Katharine (Sullivan) and Harry Maurice Walsh. His original name was Michael Emmet Walsh, but eventually, he came to be known as M. Emmet Walsh. After his death, he is survived by his niece Meagan Walsh, nephew Kevin Walsh (Renee), and grandnephews, Emmet and Elliot.

His other popular projects like ‘The Jerk’, ‘Critters’, and ‘My Best Friend's Wedding’ while his popular roles include that of a courtroom police officer in ‘What's Up, Doc?’ (1972), and the weird Dickie Dunn in ‘Slap Shot’ (1977), and as a loony sniper in ‘The Jerk’ (1979).