Oscar nominee Michael Clarke Duncan passes away

Actor Michael Clarke Duncan, Oscar nominee for "The Green Mile", has passed away after remaining hospitalized for less than two months.

According to The Washington Post, Duncan's fiancée, reality TV personality Rev. Omarosa Manigault said that he died on Monday morning at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was brought after suffering a heart attack in July.

He “suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered,” the statement said. “Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date.”

Michael Duncan passed away at the age of 54. With a strong build and standing at 6-foot-4, he started off his career as a security guard in Los Angeles. He tried to get some acting work in commercials, but couldn’t find his luck for a very long time. He also worked as a bodyguard for celebrities like Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, and The Notorious B.I.G.

Duncan quit being a bodyguard after the Notorious B.I.G. was killed in 1997. Thereafter, his career in film and television began. Michael appeared in several movies, including “The Green Mile”, “Armageddon”, "Planet of the Apes” and “Kung Fu Panda”. Despite his strong build he was one of the most soft-hearted people in the industry.

Tom Hanks, who worked with him in "The Green Mile", said in a statement that he is “terribly saddened at the loss of Big Mike.” He added, “Michael was the treasure we all discovered on the set of ‘The Green Mile.’ He was magic. He was a big love of man and his passing leaves us stunned.”

Comedian and talk-show host Steve Harvey expressed his grief on Twitter, saying, “I will miss my friend, Michael Clarke Duncan, what an incredible soldier in God’s Plan.”

According to TMZ, Michael Clarke Duncan and Omarosa Manigault were secretly engaged and had plans of getting married next year in January. They kept this engagement as a guarded secret and only shared the date of their pending nuptials with close family and friends.