Game Of Thrones Actor Dies Days After Season 5 Filming Starts

The show itself has killed off many a character, but sadly the Game of Thrones cast dealt with a real-life death this week.

Veteran Irish actor JJ Murphy passed away at the age of 86 on Friday, just days after he began his role in Game of Thrones. He had been cast as Ser Denys Mallister, the oldest member of the Night's Watch, and had just started filming for Season 5 of HBO's hit series.

But don't look for a new Mallister when the series debuts next Spring. Executive producers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff told the New York Daily News that they would not be recasting the role, saying of Murphy

He was a lovely man, and the best Denys Mallister we could have hoped for. And now his watch is ended,"

The Belfast Telegraph was the first to report on the actor's passing. His cause of death was not given, but he is survived by his wife Mary and several grown children.