It's a sad day for "West Wing" fans. John Spencer, who has played Leo McGarry for six seasons on the four-time Emmy-winning NBC drama, died of a heart attack Friday in Los Angeles. He was 58.
Spencer, who would have turned 59 on Tuesday, had a resurgence on the groundbreaking political series this season after his character suffered a heart attack last season.
When the plotline turned to deciding President Bartlet's (Martin Sheen) successor, the writers tapped Leo McGarry to be Matthew Santos' (Jimmy Smits) running mate. This season has focused on the Santos/McGarry campaign and even went so far as to hint at a possible romance between Leo and Annabeth (a new regular played by Kristin Chenoweth).
"The West Wing" made history by winning the best-drama-series Emmy four consecutive years beginning with its first season in 2000. Spencer was nominated in the "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" category for five consecutive years and won in 2002.
No word yet on how the show will proceed in the wake of this news. Spencer also appeared in the films "The Negotiator" and "The Rock," and he previously worked with Smits on "L.A. Law."
Here's a PBS interview with the actor in 2000.
