Farewell Real Champion of Capua

I was terribly saddened by the news on the internet this morning, that Andy Whitfield had lost his battle with cancer.

Andy Whitfield, 39, played the lead role on one of my favorite series, Spartacus:Blood and Sand. A disease called non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (cancer of the lymphoid tissue, which includes the lymph nodes, spleen, and other organs of the immune system) took his life. He was diagnosed with the stage 1 disease on March 2010 while prepping for the second season of Spartacus. He began to undergo treatment in New Zealand, which led to the delay of the second season of the show. The network filmed the six-part prequel "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" instead while waiting for his recovery. Andy provided some voiceover work on the said prequel. He was declared cancer-free 2 months later and was planning to return to the show. But then, the cancer returned last September 2010 and was forced to leave the show to undergo aggressive treatment.

Andy's wife, Vashti, paid an emotional tribute to her husband, saying: 'On a beautiful sunny Sydney spring morning, surrounded by his family, in the arms of his loving wife, our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18-month battle with lymphoma cancer.

'He passed peacefully surrounded by love. Thank you to all his fans whose love and support have helped carry him to this point.

'He will be remembered as the inspiring, courageous and gentle man, father and husband he was.'

I am deeply saddened, words fail me. I can't imagine the pain of his wife and 2 kids.

There really are no guarantees. Every moment is precious. Life is a gift.

Spartacus will never be the same without him... the warrior from Thrace, the real Champion of Capua.

Farewell Andy. You died so young and so soon. You will be remembered. May time heal your family's wounds. You are our champion on-screen and a champion in real life.