Andy Whitfield, the British actor who starred in the US TV series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, has died at the age of 39.

Whitfield debuted as the indomitable hero Spartacus in the Starz network drama Spartacus last year.

He died on Sunday in Sydney, Australia, 18 months after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to manager Sam Maydew.

“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,” Whitfield’s wife Vashti said in a statement carried by the Associated Press. “He passed peacefully surrounded by love. Thank you to all his fans whose love and support have help carry him to this point. He will be remembered as the inspiring, courageous and gentle man, father and husband he was.”

Whitfield was born in Wales but raised in Australia, where he rose to fame after appearing in a variety of TV programmes, including “All Saints” and “Packed to the Rafters.” His biggest break came when he was cast in the Starz series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” in which he portrayed the title role of a soldier leading a rebellion against the Roman Empire. The series was an instant success thanks to his performance in the legendary role previously played by cinematic legends such as Kirk Douglas.

Spartacus, which drew media attention in the United States for its explicit depictions of sex and brutality, premiered in the United Kingdom on the now-defunct Bravo channel before relocating to Sky One.

Whitfield starred in all 13 episodes of the first season, which aired in 2010, and was about to begin filming the second when he was stricken with cancer.

Following his diagnosis in March, Whitfield underwent treatment in New Zealand, resulting in the postponement of the show’s second season and the shooting of a six-part prequel, “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” for which he performed some voiceover work. He was certified cancer-free a few months after treatment, but a relapse later in the year caused him to leave the role, which was recast.

Actor Liam McIntyre took up his part in the TV series.

Whitfield’s death has left Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht “deeply saddened.”

“We were fortunate to have worked with Andy in Spartacus and came to know that the man who played a champion on-screen was also a champion in his own life,” Albrecht said in a statement.

“Andy was an inspiration to all of us as he faced this very personal battle with courage, strength and grace,” he went on to say.

“No words to express the depth of such a loss. You will be deeply missed, my brother,” Spartacus creator Steven DeKnight wrote on Twitter.

Lucy Lawless, Spartacus’ leading woman, stated that Whitfield “left an indelible mark on all of us in the Spartacus family… He was a gentle man who never said a bad word about anyone, a gifted photographer, engineer (no really!) and a brilliant actor. Andy’s incandescent film presence made men want to be him and women want to marry him.”