Italian actor and filmmaker Bud Spencer, who starred in a number of Spaghetti Westerns, has died aged 86. He passed away peacefully on Monday in Rome "and did not suffer from pain", his son said. Spencer, whose real name was Carlo Pedersoli, was known among his fans as the "big friendly giant" of the screen because of his height and weight.

Spencer, who was also a professional swimmer, played in more than 20 films from the 1950s to the 1980s. "He had all of us next to him and his last words were 'Thank you'," his son Giuseppe Pedersoli said. In a tweet (in Italian), Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said: "Ciao #BudSpencer We loved you so much." Actor Russell Crowe tweeted: "RIP Bud Spencer. My heart goes out to your family."

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Source: http://www.bbc.com/