Al Strobel, best known for his role in David Lynch’s cult classic Twin Peaks, died Friday. He was 83 years old.
“Piaks” producer and longtime Lynch collaborator Sabrina Sutherland confirmed the actor’s death.
“It is with the darkness of the past and much sadness in the future that we say goodbye to Al Strobel,” he wrote in a statement on behalf of his family. According to TVLine. “He is irreplaceable and will always be an important part of our Twin Peaks family.”
The official cause of Strobel’s death has not yet been released.
Born in Seattle, Washington in 1939, the playwright is best known for playing Phillip Gerard (“The One Gunman”) on the ABC fantasy series Twin Peaks by David Lynch.
Strobel’s character was a traveling shoe salesman who was possessed by an evil entity that forced him to commit evil acts. To exorcise the demon, Gerard cut off his own hand and earned the aforementioned nickname. Interestingly, Strobel lost his arm in a car accident when he was just 17 years old.
The Seattle native has appeared in all iterations of Twin Peaks,” including the original series that began in 1990, the 1992 film adaptation Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, and the 2017 Showtime revival series.
Strobel’s former collaborators and fans were devastated by his loss.
“Oh no…. Dear Al… what a warm and wonderful gentleman you were lucky enough to meet over the years. RIP my friend,” Twin Peaks co-creator Mark wrote Frost a A touch of Twitter respect.
Dana Ashbrook as Bobby Briggs in the series, Tweeted: “Sad, sad news… love Al. He was the nicest of people. A great storyteller… 🙂 and watching him roll a cigar in one hand is pure magic :)”
“I’m a real actor like you’ve never met. So clear, so real. RIP. Al,” Added the Pax developer Harley Peyton.
In addition to Twin Peaks, Strobel has appeared in the films Shadow Game, Sitting Target, Richochet River, and the 1991 TV movie Child of Darkness, Child of Light.
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