John Spencer, the actor who played a tough, dedicated politician who survived a coronary illness to run for vice president in TV drama The West Wing, has died of a heart attack.
John Spencer pictured in 'The West Wing'
Spencer (58) died after being admitted to a Los Angeles hospital yesterday, said his publicist, Ron Hofmann.
He would have been 59 on Tuesday. He was "one of those rare combinations of divinely gifted and incredibly generous", said actor Richard Schiff, who played Toby Ziegler on the NBC television series.
"There are very few personal treasures that you put in your knapsack to carry with you for the rest of your life and he's one of those."
Schiff said Spencer had been struggling with health issues but seemed to have rallied.
Spencer played Leo McGarry, the savvy and powerful chief of staff to President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet (Martin Sheen). In a sad parallel to life, Spencer's character suffered a heart attack that forced him to give up his White House job.
McGarry recovered and was picked as a running mate for Democratic presidential contender Matt Santos, played by Jimmy Smits; the campaign against Republican Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) has been a central theme for the drama this season.
"John was an uncommonly good man, an exceptional role model and a brilliant actor," said Aaron Sorkin, who created the series, and Tommy Schlamme, one of the original executive producers, in a joint statement.
"We feel privileged to have known him and worked with him. He'll be missed and remembered every day by his many, many friends," they said.