Following the news of James Redford’s death at the age of 58, Kiefer Sutherland has paid tribute to the fallen filmmaker. Sutherland starred in Redford’s Cowboy Up film and has taken to Twitter to express how “saddened” he was “to hear” the news of Redford’s death. In his brief message, Sutherland praised Redford for being a “wonderful writer,” as well as a “wonderful man.”
Redford is the son of iconic actor Robert Redford and with his ex-wife Lola Van Wagenen. According to reports, Redford died on Friday after a fight with bile-duct cancer in his liver. In a statement shared on Twitter, Redford’s wife Kyle confirmed his death. Robert has since issued a statement through his rep, Cindi Berger. She told PEOPLE that the actor “is mourning with his family during this difficult time and asks for privacy.” Berger went on to say, “The grief is immeasurable with the loss of a child. Jamie was a loving son, husband and father. His legacy lives on through his children, art, filmmaking and devoted passion to conservation and the environment.”
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Jamie died today. We’re heartbroken. He lived a beautiful, impactful life & was loved by many. He will be deeply missed. As his wife of 32 yrs, I’m most grateful for the two spectacular children we raised together. I don’t know what we would’ve done w/o them over the past 2yrs. pic.twitter.com/ynDN2jSZ04
— kyle redford (@kyleredford) October 16, 2020
Redford was mainly a documentary filmmaker, but he also did screenwriting and wrote Cowboy Up, a 2001 Western starring Sutherland, Marcus Thomas, Molly Ringwald, and Daryl Hannah. However, he is most well-known for his non-fiction work, having directed documentaries such as The Big Picture; Rethinking Dyslexia and Toxic Hot Seat, which shined a spotlight on health problems caused by the use of flame-retardant materials used in furniture. At the time of his death, he was working on finishing a new documentary titled Where The Past Begins, based on the life of author Amy Tan.
Redford’s children have been mourning their father’s death, with his daughter Lena taking to Instagram to share a memorial. “My dad died on Friday. He was really special and I am really sad. My dad really loved his life,” she wrote. “I am able to smile because my dad made me laugh so much. I do feel very lucky. He loved me and my brother so much. We got to tell all these stories and go on all these road trips.”
