J.J. Murphy, a Veteran Northern Ireland actor, has passed away after filming his first few scenes for HBO’s hit show Game of Thrones.

The eighty-six year old actor collapsed and died on Friday reports The Belfast Telegraph. In addition to his upcoming role as, Ser Denys Mallister, the oldest member of The Night’s Watch, was set to appear in the an upcoming Dracula film.

Murphy had shared his excitement with friends and family about the role as he was due to film more scenes for the show prior to his death. While it was first unknown if his character would be recast like how character Myrcella Baratheon was, it is now being reported that he will not.

Entertainment Weekly reports that showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff released a statement saying, “We will not be recasting J.J. Murphy. He was a lovely man, and the best Denys Mallister we could have hoped for. And now his watch is ended.”

His other film credits included Angela’s Ashes, Mickybo and Me and Cal.

Image courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com