Image: TVLine

American actor John Hillerman passed away on Thursday in Houston, Texas. The 84-year-old actor is best known for his role as Higgins in the classic television series, Magnum PI. According to Hillerman’s publicist, the actor died from natural causes while at home in Texas. John Hillerman also starred in films such as, "Chinatown" and the comedy "Blazing Saddles".

Image: Yahoo

John Hillerman was originally born in Denison, Texas, and he always was fond of the arts. While growing up, Hillerman was curious about the opera, and he later studied journalism at the University of Texas. Later, Hillerman served in the United States Air Force for four years, and he attained the rank of sergeant. While serving, Hillerman dabbled in theater. In an interview with OrangeCoast, John added, " "I was bored with barracks life. I got into [acting] to meet people in town. A light went on."

After completing his four years of service, Hillerman studied theater in New York City at the American Theatre Wing. For over a dozen years, Hillerman performed in various professional productions, including Henry IV, Part 2 and The Great God Brown. In 1969, Hillerman moved to Los Angeles to pursue additional acting work.

Image: News.com.au

While working on Magnum PI, Hillerman won a Golden Globe and an Emmy award. When asked about his performance as Higgins, BBC notes that he fondly referred to the role as "the best gig I've ever had". One of his last on-screen performances includes a role in the 1996 comedy, A Very Brady Sequel.

“Oh no! :( Oh, I loved him so much. Godspeed, John! Thank you so much for your persnickety, surprising Higgins. <3” A fan named Elaine tweeted about the actor’s untimely death.

Written by Jade Nicolette

Twitter: @nicolette_style