"My father died peacefully at 18:15 and did not suffer from
pain, he had all of us next to him and his last words were
'Thank you'," his son and film producer Giuseppe Pedersoli said
in a note to media. Pedersoli could not be immediately reached
for additional comment.
A post on his official Facebook page read, "With our deepest
regrets, we have to tell you that Bud is flying to his next
journey".
Born Carlo Pedersoli in the southern city of Naples, he was
known to his public as the "big friendly giant" of the screen
due to his height and weight.
He played in action and comedy films in the 1970s and 1980s,
mostly working at the side of his friend Terence Hill.
Often cast as a cowboy or policeman, his biggest successes
included "They Call Me Trinity", a parody of Spaghetti Western
movies, the "Flatfoot" films and "A friend is a Treasure."
He had many fans abroad, especially in South America where he
lived at various times in his life, and in Germany.
Speaking to channel SKY TG24, Osvaldo De Santis, president of
20th Century Fox in Italy, said, "He was an actor whom Italian
cinema needs to thank because he brought Italian movies around
the world."
Before turning to acting, Spencer was a professional swimmer and
the first Italian to swim the 100 metres freestyle in less than
one minute. He twice participated in Olympic games.
On several occasions he said he sympathized with the country's
centre/right parties and also ran for the Rome area regional
elections in 2005 with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.
(Reporting by Giulia Segreti; Editing by Toni Reinhold)
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