Richard Roundtree, a Hollywood icon who played John Shaft in the 1971 introduction to the "Shaft" film franchise, has died after a battle with cancer at age 81.
His manager, Patrick McMinn of McMinn Management and Artists & Representatives Agency, confirmed his passing in a statement. He said Roundtree had pancreatic cancer and died Tuesday afternoon.
His family was at his side, McMinn said.
"Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree," he said.
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Though it was not his cause of death, Roundtree was also a well-known breast cancer survivor. He was diagnosed in 1993, and throughout his survival he advocated for greater breast cancer awareness among men.
Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.
