The Hollywood veteran - star of films such as THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and the DEATH WISH series - passed away peacefully at the CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER in Los Angeles on Saturday (30AUG03).
His publicist LORI JONAS said, "His wife KIM (WEEKS) was by his bedside. He is survived by six children and two grandchildren.
"He was a loving father and a wonderful actor, and he will be missed very much."
The much-loved actor had been battling Alzheimer's Disease for the past two years, and suffered organ failure earlier this month (AUG03).