Heartthrob actor Richard Chamberlain dies aged 90

Richard Chamberlain, the Emmy-nominated actor and 1960s heartthrob who rocketed to fame in the TV medical drama ‘Dr. Kildare’ and starred in the mini-series ‘Shogun’ and ‘The Thorn Birds’ has died at the age of 90, publicist Harlan Boll said. 

Chamberlain died late on Saturday in Hawaii from complications from a stroke, according to Boll.

‘Our beloved Richard is with the angels now,’ Martin Rabbett, Chamberlain’s longtime partner, said in a statement to Variety.

‘He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us. How blessed were we to have known such an amazing and loving soul. Love never dies. And our love is under his wings lifting him to his next great adventure.’ 

Chamberlain died late on Saturday in Hawaii from complications from a stroke

The beloved actor became a teen idol in his breakout role as the handsome Dr. James Kildare in the series that ran from 1961-1966.

The Guardian newspaper said the then 27-year-old actor ‘looked like he had been sculpted by a loving god out of butter, honey and grace.’ 

Chamberlain was dubbed the ‘king of the mini-series’ after appearing in several TV dramas in the 1980s and earned plaudits on stage in roles ranging from Professor Henry Higgins in ‘My Fair Lady’ and Captain von Trapp in ‘The Sound of Music’ to Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Richard II.

He also was the original Jason Bourne in the 1988 mini-series ‘The Bourne Identity.’

‘What’s fascinating about Richard is that his range is enormous. His ability to be different each time out is what makes him such a valuable property,’ producer Susan Baerwald told the New York Times in 1988.

This is a breaking news story.