Robert Redford, the Oscar-winning actor, director and environmental activist, has died at the age of 89. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Utah on 16 September, according to a statement from his publicist. No specific cause of death was given.
Redford's family have requested privacy during this difficult time. His publicist, Cindy Guagenti, said he died 'in the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved' and that he 'will be missed greatly'. He is survived by his wife Sibylle Szaggars, whom he married in 1990, and his two daughters, Shauna Jean and Amy Hart.
Redford rose to fame in the 1960s and 1970s with iconic roles in films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid opposite Paul Newman and The Sting. He won an Oscar for his directorial debut, Ordinary People, and later founded the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, which became a major force in independent cinema.
Tributes have poured in from co-stars and fellow celebrities. Jane Fonda, who starred with him in several films, said she 'could not stop crying' and called him 'a beautiful person in every way'. Barbra Streisand, his co-star in The Way We Were, described him as 'charismatic, intelligent, intense, always interesting – and one of the finest actors ever'. Meryl Streep, who worked with him on Out of Africa and Lions for Lambs, said: 'One of the lions has passed. Rest in peace my lovely friend.'
Redford retired from acting in 2018 with The Old Man & the Gun, though he made a brief return to television in the series Dark Winds. His legacy as a champion of independent filmmaking is widely recognised, with the Sundance Festival providing a platform for emerging talent.
