Green Mile star Michael Clarke Duncan dead at age 54

Los Angeles - Michael Clarke Duncan, perhaps best known for his role in the Green Mile, had been in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for nearly two months after suffering a heart attack. He passed away this morning from complications due to the heart attack.

The Huffington Post is reporting that Clarke's fiancée, the Rev. Omarosa Manigault, released a statement announcing the death of Duncan. Duncan was born on the south side of Chicago on December 10, 1957. He had a passion for acting and after graduating high school, he enrolled in the Communications program at Alcorn State University. When his mother became ill, he dropped out of college and returned home, digging ditches for a gas company and moonlighting as a bouncer at various South Side nightclubs to help support his mother. He eventually got a job as a security guard with a touring stage company production of Beauty Shop, Part 2. After the 56 cities tour was done, Duncan settled in Los Angeles in 1995 and began to pursue acting at the encouragement of his mother. Duncan's first major role was in the 1998 movie Armageddon according to IMDB. His work in that role made such an impact that his co-star, Bruce Willis, called The Green Mile's director Frank Darabont and recommended Clark for the role of John Coffey. He got the part and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Clark started in many other movies during his career. Star Pulse list 47 movies including Planet of the Apes, Cats and Dogs, The Scorpion King, Daredevil, Sin City, Talladega Nights, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li and most recently, The Green Lantern. A towering man, standing 6 feet 5 inches and weighing more then 300 pound, Duncan showed amazing depth in his roles, and a warm gentleness as seen in his The Green Mile role. The Examiner reports that Hollywood celebrities are expressing their condolences on twitter. One such sweet came from Dule Hill who said "Life is so precious. A talented brother and a kind spirit. RIP Michael Clarke Duncan."