Al Strobel, well remembered for his role as Philip Gerard in the cult classic 1990s television series Twin Peaks, has passed away at the age of 83.
Sabrina Sutherland, a longtime associate of David Lynch, confirmed the news on Facebook on Saturday.
“I regret to inform you that Al Strobel died last night. I cherished him,” wrote Sutherland.
The actor, who lost his left arm in a car accident when he was 17, portrayed Gerard, a guy who severed his own limb to prevent a malevolent force from possessing him, in every installment of Twin Peaks.
Strobel has acted in a number of other films throughout his career, such as Megaville with Billy Zane in 1990 and Ricochet River with Kate Hudson. Strobel had retired by the early 2000s, but returned temporarily to acting to reprise his role as Gerard in Twin Peaks: The Return on Showtime.
The 2017 series represented Strobel’s final on-screen appearance, as he appeared in 9 out of 18 episodes.
As soon as Sutherland posted the tragic news on Facebook, condolences to the actor began flooding in from the Twin Peaks cast and fans alike.
“Oh no…
“Dear Al… Mark Frost, co-creator of the series, tweeted an homage to his great buddy. “As those of you who were fortunate enough to have met him over the years will attest, he was a kind and delightful gentlemen. RIP, pal.”
Oh no…. Dear Al… Those of you who were fortunate enough to have met him over the years can attest to what a kind and admirable gentlemen he was. RIP, friend https://t.co/XEsrNAYZ5V
— Mark Frost (3 December 2022, @mfrost11)
Dana Ashbrook, who portrayed bad-boy-turned-cop Bobby Briggs, also took to Twitter to express his condolences for Strobel.
adore Al. He was the most amiable of men.”
Sad , sad news…
adore Al. He was the gentlemanliest of guys. A fantastic storyteller…:) and to see him make a cigarette with one hand was pure magic:) https://t.co/2WDSHRzrj0
— Dana Ashbrook (@DanaAshbrook) December 3, 2022
»Al Strobel, the one-armed actor from ‘Twin Peaks,’ dies at 83«