'Outlander' Actor Brian McCardie Died "Suddenly" at the Age of 59

Scottish TV actor Brian McCardie has reportedly died at the age of 59. The actor, who may have been best known to American audiences for his appearance in an episode of Outlander, worked in British television across a wide array of shows.

Following the news of his death, many people who recognized his name or had seen his work wanted to better understand what had happened to him. Here's what we know about Brian's cause of death and how he died at such a young age.

Brian's sister, Sarah McCardie, took to Twitter to announce the news of his death. Her post made no mention of what had caused his death, and there has been no subsequent reporting that provided any additional details. All we know for sure is that he died "suddenly."

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brian James McCardie (59), beloved son, brother, uncle and dear friend to so many," she wrote on Twitter.

Sarah said that Brian had died at his home on April 28.

"A wonderful and passionate actor on stage and screen, Brian loved his work and touched many lives, and is gone much too soon," she continued. "We love him and will miss him greatly; please remember Brian in your thoughts. Funeral arrangements will be announced in the days ahead. As a family, we would ask for privacy at this time."

Brian played Sir Marcus MacRannoch on an episode of Outlander in 2015, and was also in three episodes of the British crime procedural The Line of Duty, where he played crime lord Tommy Hunter.

He had a fairly lengthy list of TV credits, and was also involved in filming for Starz's new Outlander prequel series Blood of My Blood.

United Agency, the talent agency that represented Brian, also released a statement following the news of his death.

"We are shocked and so deeply saddened by the tragic news of McCardie's sudden death. He was an actor of such great talent who we were lucky to represent, and our thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this difficult time," the statement read.

Although we don't know the exact cause of death, it seems clear that Brian's death wasn't expected. Tony Curran, a fellow Outlander alum who was also working on Blood of My Blood, took to Twitter to express his condolences. Tony said that he had seen Brian recently, and Brian had seemed fine.

"Saddened to hear about Brian’s passing, such a talented mercurial actor!" Tony wrote. "We had a reading of our show just last week, he was bantering and joking with our cast having a laugh. Thoughts with his family and friends. You’ll be missed pal!"

Regardless of exactly what happened to Brian, his career was cut short and those who knew him best have taken this loss hard.