'So long to our king': 'Lord of the Rings' co-stars pay homage to late actor Bernard Hill at Comic Con Liverpool

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND: The Hobbits from 'Lord of the Rings' united to pay homage to Bernard Hill on Sunday, May 5, at the Comic Con Liverpool, just hours after his death.

Hill, who played the embattled King Theoden in the fantasy saga, died aged 79 in the early hours of Sunday. The actor was scheduled to speak at the same event on Saturday, but pulled out a day before, citing his partner's illness.

The actor joined the Peter Jackson trilogy, based on JRR Tolkien's novels, in the second installment, 'The Two Towers', released in 2002. Hill reprised his role in 2003's 'Return of the King'. 

'LOTR' castmates pay tribute to late co-star Bernard Hill

Hill’s family announced his death with a statement, which said, "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," as per Daily Mail.

His castmates including Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, and Sean Astin remembered the actor as they gathered at the event in Merseyside.

Standing on the stage, the close-knit cast mourned that they "lost a member of our family."

Astin, who portrayed Samwise Gamgee, told the crowd, "So we lost a member of our family this morning, Bernard passed, like King Théoden did. So we want to take a moment before we go off the stage to honor him."

He continued, "He was supposed to be here yesterday. We love him. He was intrepid, he was funny, he was gruff, he was irascible, he was beautiful."

Boyd, who essayed the role of Pippin, continued, "We were watching and talking about the movies and I said to Dom, I don't think anyone spoke Tolkien's words as great as Bernard did. The way he grounded those words, he would break my heart on screen. He was a wonderful man and he will be sorely missed."

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Wood, who played Frodo Baggins, shared a heartfelt post, which was reposted by the official account of Comic Con Liverpool.

He wrote, "So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill. We will never forget you. 'For he was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning,'" and attached a photo of the late actor. 

Fans get emotional as 'LOTR' co-stars pay tribute to Bernard Hill 

One of the fans commented, "What a lovely tribute to him. Clearly well loved by his fellow LOTR cast members. So sad," and another added, "The Blackley boy did good. A lovely tribute to a wonderful actor."

A person praised Hill, writing, "He delivered the best speech in the entire trilogy. Wonderful, wonderful actor. I'm devastated he's gone. 'Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden! Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter! Spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered, a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!'"

"RIP Bernard, you were a wonderful actor and will be greatly missed," expressed a netizen, while one more noted, "Faith to the fellowship ❤️‍🔥🤝."

"Such love shown for Bernard, such a wonderful set of friends," praised another fan. 

An individual chimed in, "Quite poetic that they're saying this in Liverpool. A place where one of his most iconic characters was from."

"Smoke then, and think of him, for he was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning," said a 'LOTR' fan.

One more shared, "Beautifully said! Bernard was truly tremendous! I agree with Billy, no one else could have done better! May he be eternally blessed on his way!"

"It’s so meaningful to see these four together honoring Bernard’s legacy. As 'the road goes ever on,' I’m glad the hobbits still walk it and honor Theoden💞," mentioned a netizen, with another writing, "Excellent tribute Elijah,Sean,Dom and Billy. I'm sure he's looking down on the four of you right now with a proud smile."

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