Veteran Canadian actor Christopher Plummer, known among fans around the world for his role as Captain Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music, died on Friday. He was 91. The news of Plummer's death was announced by his longtime friend and manager Lou Pitt, who said the legendary actor passed away at his Connecticut home with his wife Elaine Taylor at his side. "Chris was an extraordinary man who deeply loved and respected his profession with great old fashion manners, self-deprecating humor and the music of words. He was a national treasure who deeply relished his Canadian roots. Through his art and humanity, he touched all of our hearts and his legendary life will endure for all generations to come," Pitt said in a statement. 

Plummer gained worldwide fame after starring as the aristocratic widower Captain Georg von Trapp opposite Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, the musical film set around the time of World War II. Although the film went on to be celebrated globally, Plummer expressed his displeasure labeling his role "gooey" in 2011 to a leading Hollywood portal. However, in 2015, he took a soft stance at his previous statement and said the role was "the last bastion of peace and innocence in a very cynical time."

One of the most celebrated and admired actors in Hollywood, with nearly 100 films in his illustrious career, Christopher Plummer also made appearances on several notable television shows. He first landed an Academy Award nomination in 2010 for his portrayal of Russian author Leo Tolstoy in The Last Station. However, he had to wait another two years to take home the Oscar Award for his performance in the 2012 romantic drama, Beginners. In Beginners, Plummer embraces homosexuality after the death of his wife, and thus became the oldest actor to win an Academy Award at the age of 82. During his Oscar acceptance speech, Plummer joked, "Where have you been all my life?", and said that he had been rehearsing his speech since he was born.

Christopher Plummer earned another Academy Award nomination in 2018 after coming in as a last minute replacement for Kevin Spacey in All the Money in the World after he was let off the project following sexual misconduct allegations. He made heads turn with a sensational performance yet again in the 2019 blockbuster Knives Out alongside Chris Evans, Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis and Ana de Armas. His last on-screen appearance was in The Last Full Measure and will once again be seen on the big screen in Heroes of the Golden Mask, an animated film, which had him cast as a voice actor and will be a posthumous release. The news of Plummer’s death has come as a massive shock for fans and celebrities who have been paying their tributes and condolences on social media.