Fred Ward, "Tremors" and "The Right Stuff" actor, has died. He was 79.

The acting industry lost one of its veteran actors again after Ward passed away. His manager' Ron Hoffman, confirmed in a statement that he died on Sunday.

The representative did not disclose Fred Ward's cause of death.

However, his family launched a memorial request, asking fans to make donations to the Boston University Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center. This led fans to assume that he died due to the dreaded illness.

According to NHS, CTE is a progressive brain condition that is believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head and episodes of injuries. Studies show that people who suffer from the disease are mostly associated with those who do contact sports, including boxing and football.

While Ward spent most part of his life in the acting industry, it is worth noting that he also became a boxer during the early days of his career. During his stint as a boxer, he broke his nose thrice.

Fans started to assume that his symptoms only showed later in his life, as he stopped acting around 2015 when he was 71.

Following the news about his passing, his colleagues and fans paid tribute to him and honored his legacy/

Kevin Bacon said, "So sad to hear about Fred Ward. When it came to battling underground worms I couldn't have asked for a better partner. I will always remember chatting about his love of Django Reinhardt and jazz guitar during our long hot days in the high desert. Rest In Peace Fred."

Fred Ward's Journey in Acting Industry

Ward's life changed after he scored his breakthrough when he was cast as astronaut Virgil Grissom in the film "The Right Stuff." The 1983 film also scored a nomination from the Academy.

He went on to work with Meryl Streep and Cher in "Silkwood" before leading the action film "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins."

Ward's other notable projects include "Miami Blues," "The Player," "Equinox," "Short Cuts," and "Bob Roberts," to name a few. He also appeared in "The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult" and "Sweet Home Alabama."

Before his death, he was able to become part of the second season of the HBO series "True Detective." Ward notably played the role of Eddie Velcoro, the father of Detective Ray Velcoro (Clin Farrell).