'Nashville' star Allen Garfield dies of COVID-19 at 80

Los Angeles, Apr 8 () Actor Allen Garfield, best known for his roles in films such as "Nashville" and "The Stunt Man," has died of the coronavirus. He was 80.

Garfield's "Nashville" co-star Ronee Blakely shared the news of his death in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

"RIP Allen Garfield, the great actor who played my husband in 'Nashville', has died today of Covid; I hang my head in tears; condolences to family and friends; I will post more later; cast and crew, sending love," Blakely wrote.

Before becoming an actor, Garfield was an amateur boxer and worked as a sports reporter.

Garfield studied acting at the Actors Studio in New York with Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg. After his studies, he made his feature film debut with 1968 film "Orgy Girls '69".

He was known for playing corrupt and villainous men of authority such as businessmen and politicians.

Garfield also collaborated with directors such as Woody Allen on "Bananas", "A State of Things" and "Until the End of the World" both directed by Wim Wenders and Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation" and "The Cotton Club".

His final film appearance was in "Chief Zabu", which was released in 2016 but filmed in 1986. RDSRDS