Yet another tragic Hollywood death is in the headlines as it is revealed that Eddie Hassell, an actor who appeared in The Kids Are Alright and Surface, has died at the age of 30.
Deadline reports that Hassell died in Texas over the weekend due to a carjacking that resulted in him being shot. There have been no further details released about the incident, which is still being investigated by the police.
Hassell played the role of Clay in The Kids Are Alright. Clay was the best friend of Josh Hutcherson’s character, Laser, and frequently cracked jokes throughout the film. Meanwhile, he played Phil Nance, the best friend of Carter Jenkins’ character, Miles.
Aside from those two projects, Variety notes that Hassell had a number of film and television roles as well. He has had roles in movies such as Oh Lucy! and Bomb City in 2017, House of Dust, Family Weekend, Jobs, The Family Tree, and 2012.
On television, he has appeared on Longmire, Devious Maids, Bones, Southland, ‘Til Death, Joan of Arcadia, Oliver Beene, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Aaron Sorkin’s 2006 dramedy about a comedy show similar to Saturday Night Live.
Variety also noted that Hassell was into sports like skateboarding and surfing, quoting a 2013 interview where the then 23-year-old actor shared that skateboarding was what got him cast in commercials in the first place.
Hassell also revealed his interest in rodeos and horseback riding as a Texas native, adding that he could do his own stunts. Wakeboarding was also something the young actor was involved in.
Hassell’s death adds to the list of celebrity deaths this year that are not associated with the global coronavirus pandemic. Goldfinger actress Margaret Nolan died at the age of 76 last October. Even earlier this year, another Goldfinger alum, Honor Blackman, passed away at the age of 94.
Famed rock musician Eddie Van Halen also passed away early in October due to cancer, with his death eliciting tributes from various rock luminaries like David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, Gene Simmons, Nikki Sixx, Lenny Kravitz, and Billy Idol.
Actor Chadwick Boseman passed away last August, also after a long battle with cancer. His Black Panther co-stars Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, and Winston Duke was seen attending a private memorial in his honor.
In July, Mythbusters host Grant Imahara died at the age of 49 after suffering a brain aneurysm.
Meanwhile, former Glee star Naya Rivera also died in July of this year after drowning in Lake Piru in California.