James Bond actor Roger Moore has passed away at 89

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

It is with a heavy heart that we report this morning that the great Sir Roger Moore has passed away today in Switzerland after a short battle with cancer. He was 89 years old.

The news was broken by his children, Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian in a heartfelt letter released to the public this morning, as well as in a tweet from the actor's Twitter account:

With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated. pic.twitter.com/6dhiA6dnVg

— Sir Roger Moore (@sirrogermoore) May 23, 2017

A true thespian, the actor will be most known as the third incarnation of James Bond, after Sean Connery’s iconic start and George Lazenby’s one outing. His work as Bond included some of more fun outings, like the films THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, LIVE AND LET DIE and OCTOPUSSY. He played the character for 11 years, finishing with A VIEW TO A KILL in 1985. The man was also a notable television actor, acting in tons of classic shows like MAVERICK and, most notably, THE SAINT.

However, it was his charity work that consumed most of his time since the 90s, as he became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in 1991. Moore was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1999 before advancing to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2003, the citation of which was for his charity work.

Though a talented actor all around, the icon will be remembered most for his work as 007 – and for good reason. Everyone has their favorite Bond, but Moore defined an era of Bond movies more so than any actor to play the role. His movies were campy, ridiculous and entertaining, exuding the 70s style with flair, and not to mention had some of the cooler titles. He was a man’s man of the highest order, exuding style, charm and elegance, while also possessing an immense heart that gave back until his final days. He will be missed, and we will have a martini in his honor.