LAS VEGAS, Feb 16 — Actor Kevyn Major Howard whose most famous character was the Vietnam War correspondent Rafterman in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, is dead at the age of 69.
Howard died on February 14 at a hospital in Las Vegas, the US, entertainment news agency TMZ reported, citing his family as the source.
The exact cause of his death has not been disclosed, but he was reportedly battling respiratory issues for several weeks before being hospitalised.
Howard was born in Quebec, Canada on January 27, 1956 and moved to Los Angeles, the United States to pursue an acting career after completing his college education.
His acting career began in the late 1970s, with his first major role in The Serial (1980), followed by appearances in Death Wish II (1982) and Sudden Impact (1983).
Full Metal Jacket came along in 1987 and he acted alongside Hollywood legends Clint Eastwood and James Caan.
Howard was also a famed photographer and earned the moniker “King of the Hollywood Headshot” for capturing his subjects’ personalities through their eyes.
Beyond his entertainment career, Howard founded a foundation called Fueled by the Fallen to honour military personnel and 9/11 casualties with memorial race cars and scholarships for the children of fallen heroes.
