Roger Moore, former James Bond star, dies aged 89

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Ex-James Bond actor Roger Moore dies.
British actor Sir Roger Moore, famed for playing James Bond, has died aged 89. PHOTO: STARHUB
British actor Sir Roger Moore, famed for playing James Bond, has died aged 89.
PHOTO: MEDIA WORKS
British actor Sir Roger Moore, famed for playing James Bond, has died aged 89.
PHOTO: EPA
British actor Sir Roger Moore, famed for playing James Bond, has died aged 89.
PHOTO: STARHUB
British actor Sir Roger Moore, famed for playing James Bond, has died aged 89. PHOTO: REUTERS
British actor Sir Roger Moore, famed for playing James Bond, has died aged 89. PHOTO: EPA

Former James Bond star Roger Moore died aged 89 on Tuesday (May 23), his family said in a statement.

"It is with a heavy heart that we must announce our loving father, Sir Roger Moore, has passed away today in Switzerland after a short but brave battle with cancer," said the family in a statement on the actor's official Twitter account.

"The love with which he was surrounded in his final days was so great it cannot be quantified in words alone," said his three children, Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian.

Moore was an English actor famed for his role as James Bond in seven films in the 70s and 80s.

His children said in their statement that their father was known for his films, his television shows and his passionate work for Unicef, which he considered his greatest achievement.

"The affection our father felt whenever he walked onto a stage or in front of a camera buoyed him hugely and kept him busy working into his 90th year, through to his last appearance in November 2016 on stage at London's Royal Festival Hall," they wrote.

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Moore would have turned 90 in October this year.

"Thank you Pops for being you, and for being so very special to so many people," the statement read.

A private funeral for Moore will be held in Monaco, as per his wishes.

According to IMDB, Moore started his career in television series and got his first international breakthrough in The Saint series, which made him a superstar.

He took over the role of James Bond from Sean Connery and his first Bond film Live And Let Die (1973) grossed more outside of America than Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Connery's last turn as James Bond.

He made his last Bond film, A View To A Kill (1985), when he was 57.

He also received accolades for his services to Unicef, and was in 2003 promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to Unicef and Kiwanis International, a United States-based non-profit educational organisation.

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