Actor John Spencer died of a heart attack today. He was 58.
Spencer is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Leo McGarry on The West Wing. The character of Leo also suffered a sudden heart attack in Season 6, which, while not fatal, led to his replacement as White House Chief of Staff by Press Secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney).
In a twist, in the current season, Leo is the Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee and running-mate of Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits) who is squaring off against Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) for President. What Spencer’s death will mean for the election result remains to be seen.
Fictional concerns aside, though, Spencer was far too young for such a tragedy. He will surely be missed.