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Emmy-winning actor Rip Torn dies at 88

By Darryl Coote
Actor Rip Torn died Tuesday at his Connecticut home with his wife and two of his six children by his side. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
Actor Rip Torn died Tuesday at his Connecticut home with his wife and two of his six children by his side. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

July 10 (UPI) -- Actor Rip Torn of the acclaimed The Larry Sanders Show has died, according to his representatives.

He was 88.

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Torn died Tuesday at his Lakeville, Conn., home with his wife, Amy Wright, and daughters Katie Torn and Angelica Page at his side, a statement from his representatives said.

The cause of death was not released.

Though best known for playing Artie on HBO's The Larry Sanders Show, a role for which he received six consecutive Emmy nominations and was awarded Best Supporting Actor in 1996, Torn's career spanned seven decades of comedic and dramatic performances.

In 1984, he received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of Marsh Turner in Cross Creek.

In total, he was nominated for nine Emmy awards, receiving his first nod in 1985 for playing Lewis Slaton in The Atlanta Child Murders. His final nomination came in 2008 in the category of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for playing Don Geiss in the comedy TV show 30 Rock.

The Texan was also praised for his stage performances, having performed on Broadway 10 times. He made his stage debut on March 10, 1959, in Tennessee William's Sweet Bird of Youth with Paul Newman and Geraldine Page, whom he'd marry in 1963.

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Torn was married three times and had six children.

Comedian Albert Brooks called Torn a "true original."

"R.I.P., Rip Torn," Brooks said via Twitter. "He was so great in Defending Your Life. I'll miss you, Rip."

Comedian Tom Green, who directed Torn in Freddy Got Fingered, in which he also starred, said he was proud to have worked with and gotten to know "a true legend."

"Rip was a class act," Green said. "He was an incredible actor. One of the Greats."

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