He is the actor who played Juan in Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ’ and died of lung cancer at the beginning of Holy Week

His name was Christo Jivkov, he is hard to remember by Hispanic audiences, but the world will never forget his performance in Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ’, where he played Juan.

Jivkov died of lung cancer at the age of 48, after a long battle with the disease. 19 years ago he played John the Apostle.

Besides being an actor, Jivkov was a producer and was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. He also played Giovanni delle Bande Nere in Ermann Olmi’s ‘Profession of Arms’ in 2001, the Daily Mail reported.

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Christo Jivkov was expected to take part in the long-promised sequel by Mel Gibson. According to the director, the second part will be called ‘The Passion of the Christ: The Resurrection’ and will start shooting in the spring of 2023.

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Farewell to the actor who played Juan in ‘The Passion of the Christ’ by Mel Gibson

An emotional farewell message was shared through the social networks of Red Carpet Films, a film company co-founded by Christo Jivkov.

“Today we lost our beloved friend and dear colleague Christ Jivkov, co-founder of Red Carpet. We are truly devastated by this unexpected loss. We will never forget you!” reads the Facebook post.

Italian actress María Grazia Cucinotta also posted a message on social networks. “I still can’t believe you’re gone…endless pain. Hello Christo, friend, good soul, your fight for life was the fight of all those who love you”.

According to Terra, the actor died in his hometown surrounded by his loved ones. Mel Gibson has not announced yet.

(AND)