Andy Whitfield, the British star of US TV drama, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, has died at the age of 39.

Whitfield died on Sunday in Sydney, Australia, 18 months after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, his family and manager said.

His wife, Vashti, described him as "our beautiful young warrior".

Whitfield was born in Wales and moved to Australia in 1999. Actor Liam McIntyre took over Whitfield's role in the TV series when he became ill.

"On a beautiful sunny Sydney spring morning, surrounded by his family, in the arms of his loving wife, our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18-month battle with lymphoma cancer," his wife said in a statement.

Whitfield was preparing for the show's second season when he was diagnosed 18 months ago. And in January, the network announced that another Australian actor, Liam McIntyre, would take over the series' lead role.

Source: Press Release