Burt Reynolds is No More! The ‘Deliverance’ Star and Hollywood Sex Symbol Dies at 82

A star becomes a star for some extraordinary qualities, and when Burt Reynolds achieved stardom, he delivered an x-factor, which was fresh and at the same time groundbreaking! The star performer of ‘Deliverance’, the macho man of ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ expired Thursday, he was 82!

Nancy Lee Hess, Reynolds’ niece confirmed the news to USA Today mentioning they were not expecting this at all, “He has had health issues; however, this was totally unexpected. He was tough. Anyone who breaks their tail bone on a river and finishes the movie is tough. And that’s who he was.”

Reynolds’ agent Todd Eisner informed that the star suffered a cardiac arrest. May his soul rest in peace!

Burt Reynolds was way ahead of his age in terms of portrayal of his on-screen presence. A time that was used to perceive only women depicted in appealing characters, sensuous wardrobe and arousing looks, Reynolds set a whole new standard of male charisma and sex appeal.

Television series like ‘Gunsmoke’(1955-1975), ‘Dan August’(1970-1971) were functional to bring Reynolds under the required limelight. But it was in 1972 when the budding star bagged the role of Lewis Medlock in ‘Deliverance’, his debut film, and created history! The film remained to be a breakthrough throughout his career and for the rest of his life.

His cowboy look with the mustache became a patent symbol of manliness and charm overnight, amongst his countless female followers.

‘Smokey and the Bandit’ (1977), ‘Hooper’ (1978), ‘Boogie Nights’ (1997), ‘The Longest Yard’ (2005) are some of his noteworthy films.

However, the box-office star came across his sundown period, when his personal life was a mess due to a divorce and the films were not fetching fair returns.

Burt Reynolds had been leading a quite life in Florida until in the beginning of this year his personal project ‘The Last Movie Star’ caught the media attention.

The star actor, for his performance in ‘Boogie Nights’(1997) was nominated for the  Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The tragic news, however, has taken all his fans and the film fraternity by surprise. Celebrities are paying tribute to late Reynolds, and one of them is this one -

Actor Ryan Reynolds captioned the collage, “He did it first. And best. And naked. #BurtReynolds”

The ‘Terminator’ of Hollywood, Arnold Schwarzenegger tweeted, “Burt Reynolds was one of my heroes. He was a trailblazer. He showed the way to transition from being an athlete to being the highest paid actor, and he always inspired me. He also had a great sense of humor - check out his Tonight Show clips. My thoughts are with his family.”

Mark Wahlberg shared a throwback moment adding, “Rest in peace to a legend and a friend. #BurtReynolds”

By sharing this good old memory Sylvester Stallone wrote an eulogy that is simply heartouching, “A sad day, my friend BURT REYNOLDS Has passed away. I remember him back in 1979, he always reminded me that I should’ve cast him as Colonel Trautman in FIRST BLOOD , I said that’s impossible, because you’re too expensive and too famous, and probably tougher than Rambo ! He laughed , He had a great sense of humor and I enjoyed his company so much... RIP Buddy”.