Andy Whitfield has tragically lost his real life battle against deadly disease cancer aged just 39.

The heart throb star found onscreen fame for his role in TV series Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

The welsh-born actor died in Sydney Australia eighteen months after he was first diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma:

“On a beautiful sunny Sydney morning, surrounded by his family, in the loving arms of his wife, our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18-month battle with lymphoma cancer.

“He passed away srrounded by love.

“Thank you to all his fans whose love and support have helped carry him to this point.

“He will be remembered as the inspiring, courageous and gentle man, husband and father that he was”, said his loving wife Vashti in a press statement.

The actor moved to Sydney from his native country of Wales in 1999 and appeared in many Australian TV shows before being chosen for the title role in Spartacus: Blood and Sand in 2010 which went on to be a massive hit.