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Fonda, the son of Hollywood leading man Henry
Fonda and the brother of Jane Fonda, died at his home in Los
Angeles on Friday morning of respiratory failure from lung
cancer, the statement said.
"It is with deep sorrow that we share the news that Peter Fonda
has passed away," it said, adding: "In honor of Peter, please
raise a glass to freedom."
"While we mourn the loss of this sweet and gracious man, we also
wish for all to celebrate his indomitable spirit and love of
life," the family said.
Fonda played the wanderer Wyatt in "Easy Rider," opposite the
late Dennis Hopper who co-starred as fellow biker Billy and
directed the film.
In the movie, Wyatt and Billy set out on their motorbikes to
discover America and have a number of misadventures, befriending
an attorney played by Jack Nicholson, before meeting violent
deaths.
"Easy Rider," with a script co-written by Fonda, helped usher in
a period known as the "New Hollywood" era of filmmaking, which
often avoided happy endings and other conventions of the
Hollywood studio system.
Fonda was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the
script of "Easy Rider" and went on to act in movies and
television shows at a steady pace in the decades after,
achieving a second career highlight when he was nominated for a
best actor Oscar for his role as a beekeeper in the 1997 drama "Ulee's
Gold."
His other notable film appearances included supporting roles in
the remake of the western "3:10 to Yuma" and the action-fantasy
"Ghost Rider," which both came out in 2007.
Jane Fonda, who is known for her role in the 1968 film "Barbarella"
and in the ongoing Netflix series "Grace and Frankie," expressed
sadness at her brother's death.
"He was my sweet-hearted baby brother. The talker of the
family," she said in a statement. "I have had beautiful alone
time with him these last days. He went out laughing."
MOTHER'S SUICIDE
Peter Fonda, born in 1940 in New York City, lost his mother, the
socialite Frances Ford Seymour, as a child when she took her own
life.
Fonda later said in interviews he did not know his mother's
death had been due to suicide until years later. The late Henry
Fonda, who during his life had five wives, had earlier told
Seymour he wanted a divorce.
Growing up, Peter Fonda attended a number of boarding schools
and suffered serious injury when he accidentally shot himself
with a rifle at age 11.
He admired his father, the star of films such as "The Grapes of
Wrath" and "12 Angry Men," but would later describe him as
emotionally distant, at least with his son.
Peter Fonda is survived by wife Margaret DeVogelaere and by his
children with former wife Susan Brewer, Bridget and Justin
Fonda. Both children have also worked in Hollywood.
(Additional reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing
by Bill Tarrant and Chris Reese)
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