“Stargate SG-1” star Cliff Simon has died in a kiteboarding accident. He was 58.
The actor, known for his role on the show as the villain Ba’al, passed away in Topanga Beach in California, his wife, Colette Simon, announced in a post on his Facebook page on Thursday.
“It is with unimaginable heartbreak that I am sharing with you, that my beloved husband, Cliff Simon, passed away at 12:30pm on Tuesday March 9, 2021,” she wrote. “He was at Topanga Beach, California and sadly passed away after a tragic kiteboarding accident.”
She continued: “He was known to most of you on this page as the villain you loved to hate, Ba'al, from Stargate SG-1. But as he said, ‘acting is what I do, it's only a part of who I am.’”
Colette went on to remember her husband and the many roles he took on in her personal life off the screen.
“And he was SO much more - a true original, an adventurer, a sailor, swimmer, dancer, actor, author,” she wrote. “There is a gaping hole where he once stood on this earth. He was loved by too many to mention and had a great impact on so many lives. He was an amazing and much loved brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend.”
She added: “He was and always will be the love of my life and there is unimaginable heartbreak.”
Colette also touched on the silver lining on the tragic accident — that her husband passed doing what he loved — though she did not go into specific details.
“A small saving grace to this tragedy is that he was doing one of the things he loved most and passed away on the beach near the water, which was his temple,” she said.
Simon has a varied career path before coming to acting. South African-born, Simon moved to England with his family when he was young. There, he trained as a swimmer and qualified for the country’s 1984 Olympic team, although he did not compete, opting instead to return to South Africa and joining the South African Air Force.
Following his military stint, he worked as a windsurfing instructor before starting to act. He landed a role on the South African soap opera “Egoli – Place of Gold.”
Simon would then go on to appear on the CBS series “Nash Bridges” alongside Don Johnson. This parlayed into his recurring villain role on “Stargate SG-1.”
Simon also appeared on shows such as “NCIS” and “Criminal Minds.”
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