Scott Wilson, an acting veteran of 50 years who was a high-profile member of the cast of The Walking Dead between 2010 and 2014, has died. He was 76.

His death was announced on Saturday on The Walking Dead official Twitter account. No details were immediately available.

Wilson played rural farmer Hershel Greene on the series.

He was a regular on The Walking Dead from its inception in 2010 through 2014. His character helped the resistance led by star Andrew Lincoln in battling the show’s walkers. The character lost a leg in season three and was killed off in season four.

Scott will be remembered as a great actor and an even better person. The character he embodied on The Walking Dead, Hershel, lived at the emotional core of the show. Our hearts go out to his wife, family, friends and to the millions of fans who loved him. pic.twitter.com/cTf4dParo7

— The Walking Dead (@WalkingDead_AMC) October 7, 2018

News of Wilson’s death came shortly after it was announced at The Walking Dead panel at New York Comic Con that the Wilson would be among past cast members appearing in the AMC show’s ninth season, which debuts in the US on Sunday. Wilson had already filmed his scenes.

“Scott will always be remembered as a great actor and we all feel fortunate to have known him as an even better person,” AMC said in a statement.

“The character he embodied on The Walking Dead, Hershel, lived at the emotional core of the show. Like Scott in our lives, Hershel was a character whose actions continue to inform our characters’ choices to this day. Our hearts go out to his wife, family, friends and to the millions of fans who loved him. Scott will be missed.”

Wilson played a key role in 1974’s The Great Gatsby in which his character killed Jay Gatsby (Robert Redford) while at his mansion swimming pool, then turned the gun on himself.

He received a Golden Globe nomination in 1980 in the supporting actor category as Captain Billy Cutshaw in the thriller The Ninth Configuration.

He played pilot Scott Crossfield in The Right Stuff, a prison chaplain in Dead Man Walking and a victim of Charlize Theron’s serial killer in Patty Jenkins’ Monster.

His credits included The Heartbreak Kid, Hostiles, The Gypsy Moths, Pearl Harbor, Junebug, Judge Dredd, the Shiloh film series and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.

He had a recurring role in several episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Sam Braun.

Wilson is survived by his wife, Heavenly, an artist and attorney. No memorial plans have been announced.

-AAP