Helen Mirren and her husband Taylor Hackford have disclosed Rio Hackford’s cause of death.
Rio was the actor son of film director Taylor, whom Mirren has been married to since 1997. He died aged 51 on Thursday 14 April.
In a statement shared with People, the couple have spoken out for the first time following his death.
“His life showed us how to live in generosity and community,” they wrote. “He shared his life’s journey with so many who now mourn him, and at the same time, celebrate their fortune in knowing him.”
“Rio died of uveal melanoma, a very aggressive and rare form of cancer,” they explained.
Uveal melanoma is an eye cancer involving the iris, ciliary body, or choroid. Although rare, it’s often fatal when it spreads to other areas of the body.
“We would beg everyone reading this to get their eyes tested at least once a year, which might save their loved ones from this cancer,” the couple said.
Rio is known for starring in Treme, David Simon’s HBO show in which Rio played Toby, an old friend of Steve Zahn’s character David McAlary. He also starred in American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson as investigator Pat McKenna and recently appeared in Pam & Tommy alongside Lily James and Sebastian Stan.
