Bernard Hill pulled out of 'Lord of the Rings' reunion at Liverpool comic con just hours before his death at 79

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND: ‘Lord of the Rings’ star Bernard Hill was set to deliver a speech on Saturday, May 4, during the first day of Comic-Con Liverpool, but had to pull away owing to his partner’s ill health before the actor died at the age of 79 in the early hours of Sunday, May 5.

Just hours before his scheduled appearance on Saturday, the thespian pulled out of the event by telling the organizers “his partner was ill.”

Following the actor’s death, his cancellation message is getting traction on the internet with fans speculating whether it was for his own ill health the actor drew himself out of the engagement.

Bernard Hill pulled out of Comic Con Liverpool

The Manchester-born actor was scheduled to speak at the convention in Merseyside on Saturday, but he pulled out a day before. 

In a statement shared by Comic Con Liverpool, the organizers wrote, “Due to Bernard’s partner being taken very ill he can no longer attend the event.”

The statement continued, “He sends his sincere apologies and thanks you all for you understanding. He sends his love to all of you and will see you all again soon at another Monopoly event.”

After his death, a video of him from the Comic Con Scotland emerged on the internet where he was telling his fans to “keep going", the Daily Mail reported.

In March this year, Hill attended Comic Con Scotland in Aberdeen where he was seen interacting with the fans. 

During the March event, he was asked about his plans after the event. There he said, “A good night's sleep. It was pretty brutal coming in on that tiny aeroplane. It didn't bother me, I liked it. I left me a bit weary at the end of it.”

The actor shot to fame through his portrayal of Yosser Hughes in the 1982 BBC drama ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’. After that, he went on to portray Captain Edward Smith in the cult classic ‘Titanic’ and Theoden, the King of Rohan, in Peter Jackson’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. 

The news of Hill’s passing was shared through a statement from his family, where they wrote, “It is with the greatest sadness that we must announce that Bernard Hill, renowned for his roles in Titanic and Lord of the Rings, passed away in the early hours of this morning at the age of 79.”

Before his death, the star was also absent from a get-together of his former cast mates from 'LOTR'. The cast members, including Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd, were seen posing together in a Liverpool restaurant on Friday.  

Monaghan shared the picture with the caption, “3 hobbits and an elf and the CONVERSATION tonight was VAULTED.”

Fans speculate why Bernard Hill pulled out of Comic Con before his death

Fans were heartbroken at Hill's passing. They also speculated whether Hill pulled himself out of the event because of his own illness.

One of the fans said, "Can't believe it's Bernard Hill who passed away. Wonder did he become ill as he was visiting his partner. So sad. RIP #bernardhill."

One netizen commented on the original Instagram post, "I wonder if it wasn't his partner's health but his own that was the reason for such a last minute cancellation 😔 may he be at peace 🕊️."

One fan wrote, "I'm so confused he cancelled yesterday because of his partner, and then this happens 😭."

"So sad, especially given how he pulled out a few days ago as his wife was ill x," said one social media user.

Another added, "Gutted…. Waited to meet him for so long and was ready this weekend… RIP Bernard Hill ✌🏻🫶🏻."

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