Richard Chamberlain, ‘Dr. Kildare’ and ‘The Thorn Birds’ star, dies at 90

Richard Chamberlain, the leading man who launched his career as the dashing title character of NBC’s Dr. Kildare before being crowned the “King of the Miniseries” thanks to his work on 1978’s Centennial, 1980’s Shōgun, and 1983’s The Thorn Birds, has died. He was 90.

Chamberlain died Saturday in Waimanalo, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu, reports PEOPLE, two days away from what would have marked his 91st birthday. His cause of death was complications following a stroke.

“Our beloved Richard is with the angels now,” Chamberlain’s longtime partner, Martin Rabbett, said in a statement to the outlet. “He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us. How blessed were we to have known such an amazing and loving soul. Love never dies. And our love is under his wings, lifting him to his next great adventure.”

Representatives for Chamberlain did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment.

Born March 31, 1934, in Beverly Hills, Chamberlain became a TV heartthrob in 1961 after landing the role of Dr. James Kildare, a young medical intern trying to navigate the challenges of a large metropolitan hospital, bond with his experienced mentor, and deal with the health and personal issues of his patients. The hourlong medical drama, which also starred Raymond Massey, was an immediate hit, running through 1966.

Chamberlain found more success on the small screen with a role in Centennial, and again when he originated the role of John Blackthorn in Shōgun, the miniseries adaptation of the popular James Clavell novel about an English navigator who journeys to Japan in the 1600s and rises to high ranks in the service of the shōgun. His fame spiked again thanks to his performance in the 1983 miniseries The Thorn Birds. Chamberlain picked up three Golden Globes and earned four Emmy nominations across his career.

The actor was also busy beyond his TV appearances, appearing in such notable films as Petulia, Julius Caesar, The Music Lovers, The Last Wave, The Three Musketeers, and The Towering Inferno.

He used his success to launch a minor recording career, releasing 1962’s Richard Chamberlain Sings and The Theme From Dr. Kildare. He also took his musical talents to the stage, landing a lead role in the Broadway musical Holly Golightly, based on Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Unfortunately, the troubled production, co-starring Mary Tyler Moore, never quite got off the ground and closed before it opened, but Chamberlain appeared on stage in other shows, including The Philadelphia Story and Private Lives. 

On the heels of his success, Chamberlain relocated to England to shed his TV heartthrob image and train as a series actor. His 1969 turn as Hamlet at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre earned him rave reviews. He additionally tackled such heralded works as Richard II, Cyrano de Bergerac, Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana, and Thomas Babe’s Fathers and Sons, with the latter two earning him Drama Desk Award nominations. He returned to Broadway for a 1987 revival of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit.

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Nine years after Shōgun ended, Chamberlain made his TV return with Island Son, the short-lived medical drama about a physician’s return to his hometown in Hawaii that lasted a single 18-episode season. Afterwards, Chamberlain guested on a variety of series and sitcoms, including Touched by an Angel, The Drew Carey Show, Will & Grace, Nip/Tuck, Desperate Housewives, Twin Peaks: The Return, and Chuck. He also had a recurring role on ABC’s Brothers and Sisters.

Chamberlain recounted his childhood and rise to fame in his 2003 memoir, Shattered Love. He also publicly came out as gay, which he later told The New York Times was no simple admission given his status as a “hetero heartthrob.” The actor noted that while his friends and many of his colleagues in show business had known about his sexuality for decades, he felt a great relief sharing it with the rest of the world.

“Suddenly, all that fear, all that self-dislike… it was like an angel had put her hand on my head and said, ‘It’s over — all that negative stuff is over,'” Chamberlain said in a 2010 conversation for the TV Academy Foundation, adding, “Being gay is one of the least interesting facts you can know about a person.”

 Chamberlain spent decades in a relationship with Rabbett, an actor-writer-producer.