'Sons of Anarchy' Star William Lucking Dead at 80

William Lucking, the actor best known for his portrayal of old-school biker Piney Winston on the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy, has died. Lucking passed away on Monday, Oct. 18 at his home in Las Vegas, his wife, Sigrid Insull Lucking, confirmed in an obituary shared to Facebook on Tuesday by close friend Stephen Macht. Lucking was 80. A cause of death was not provided.

"Although William often played tough and strong men, in his actual life he was an elegant man with a brilliant intellect who loved to argue about politics and current affairs, discuss philosophy and physics, and assert fine-pointed opinions about art and poetry," his obituary reads. "He was a giant of a man with the soul of a poet, one who "contained...a tension of sorts within his being...like a boulder teetering on a hill...or a balloon expanding towards its extreme," as one friend put it."

Born on June 17, 1941, in Vicksburg, Michigan, William moved with his family to California in the early '50s. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in literature and completing advanced studies in theatre arts at the Pasadena Playhouse, Lucking made his small screen debut on a 1968 episode of Ironside. He went on to appear in titles including Mission Impossible, Lancer, The Virginian, and The Partridge Family before he landed a role in his major motion picture with Oklahoma Crude opposite George C. Scott and Faye Dunaway in 1976. He also had regular roles on two short-lived CBS dramas, 1981-82's Shannon and 1986-87's Outlaws. Lucking, however, is perhaps best remembered for his role as Piney Winston on Sons of Anarchy. His character, the father of Ryan Hurst's Opie, was the oldest living member of the motorcycle club.

Amid news of his passing, many fans of the Kurt Sutter-created series have taken to social media to pay tribute to the beloved actor. One fan wrote, "Piney was a fantastic SOA character played to a tee," with somebody else writing that Lucking "was definitely a giant among men and an amazing person who will be greatly missed." Kristen Renton, who starred as Ima Tite alongside Lucking on SOA, said in a tweet that it "was such an honor to work with you on [Sons of Anarchy]. You had a presence unlike any other. You will truly be missed."

Lucking is survived by Sigrid, his wife of 25 years, and his two daughters, Marjet Lucking and Juliana Ryan. His first wife, Mimi, with whom he shared his children, died of cancer in 1996. The family has requested "you toast his memory and celebrate his legacy."