Kirk Douglas Dead: Micheal Douglas Posts Photo of Late Father After Revealing His Death

Following news that Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas has passed away at the age of 103, his son and fellow actor Michael Douglas took to Instagram to reflect on his father’s life. Along with a vintage black-and-white headshot of his father along with some more recent snaps, the caption spoke about how the world saw Kirk Douglas as an actor. More personally, he also opened up about how he saw Kirk Douglas as his dad.

“To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to,” the caption began, before pivoting a bit. “But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great-grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.”

Near the end of the caption, Douglas writes that his late father “leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet.”

Along with a lengthy career that was admired by many, Douglas had also lived a life of philanthropy. In 2015, he and his wife, Anne Douglas, even spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about their plan to give away their $80 million fortune.

“Sometimes we didn’t have enough to eat, but very often there would be a knock at the door and it would be a hobo wanting food, and my mother always gave them something,” Douglas said at the time, recalling his childhood. “My mother said to me, ‘You must take care of other people.’ That stayed with me.”

While he’s perhaps best remembered for his role in the 1960 cinematic epic Spartacus, Kirk Douglas also racked up three Oscar nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role throughout his career. The first was in 1950 for Champion, the second came in 1953 for The Bad and the Beautiful, and the third for 1957’s Lust for Life. While he lost all three times at the bat, in 1996, The Academy made up for it by giving him an honorary Academy Award for his five decades in the entertainment industry.