Australian actor Julian McMahon, best known for his starring roles in Charmed and Fantastic Four has died. He was 56.

The actor “died peacefully” after a private battle with cancer, according to a statement from his wife, Kelly McMahon, shared with Deadline.

“Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans. His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible,” she said.

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“We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy. And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy, to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories.”

Tributes have begun to pour in for the late star on social media, with Fantastic Four co-star Ioan Gruffud taking to Instagram to remember his late friend.

“This is terribly sad news about Julian,” he wrote.

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“Even though we played each other’s nemeses, there was always so much lightness and laughter working together.

“Every encounter with him was a joy. It was an honor to be Dr. Richards to his Dr. Doom. My heart goes out to his wife and family. God speed Julian.”

Charmed co-star Rose McGowan – who also appeared alongside him in Nip/Tuck – shared an image to her Instagram story of McMahon, remembering him as a “force of brilliance, wild talent and humour”.

”For you, your family and loving fans all over the world, I pray for comfort,” she said.

Another Charmed Star, Holly Marie Combs, shared a touching tribute to the late Aussie posting a video compiled of a collection of images from their time on the show together to Instagram.

“One of a kind is an understatement. Your unyielding zest for life and crazy making sense of humor will be sorely missed,” she wrote in the caption.

“The joy and laughter you were the direct cause of will always be remembered. I hope you find our lady friend and dance in those rose petals. 🌹”

Brian Krause, who also appeared in Charmed, noted that today is “a sad day for our Charmed family”.

“Julian was one of the funniest, devilishly handsome and kind souls,” he wrote on Instagram.

“Prayers to his family and close friends! He will surely be missed!”

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Nine’s entertainment editor Richard Wilkins told his Today co-hosts the news is “so sad”.

“Such a larger than life, tall dark and handsome character that we knew and loved him for, and I can hardly believe that he’s gone,” he said.

“This is just terrible news for the world to be waking up to on a Saturday morning.”

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