Rest in peace. Actor Rance Howard and patriarch of the Howard acting family has sadly died. Rance passed away on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 89 years old and his son, actor and director Ron Howard, took to Twitter to announced his death.

“Clint [and] I have been blessed to be Rance Howard’s sons. Today he passed at 89,” the 63-year-old wrote. “He stood especially tall [for] his ability to balance ambition [with] great personal integrity. A depression-era farm boy, his passion for acting changed the course of our family history. We love [and] miss [you] Dad.”

Rance was born on Nov. 17, 1928 in Duncan, OK and he got his start in acting at just 20 years old, when he landed a gig with a traveling theater company. Over the the span of nearly seven decades, Rance went on to earn more than 100 roles both on TV and film. He’s made appearances on the hit 1950s western drama series Gunsmoke and Bonanza, and he also had roles in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke and the 1974 classic Chinatown. Rance alos went on to play roles in his son Ron’s films, like 2001’s A Beautiful Mind and 2005’s Cinderella Man.

rance howard sons clint and ron in 1974 getty

Rance with his sons Ron and Clint in 1974.

Rance was a father to two sons, Ron and his brother Clint and he was also a grandfather to Ron’s daughters, actresses Bryce Dallas Howard and Paige Howard. Earlier this month, Bryce gushed over her grandfather’s work ethic at a red carpet premiere for his latest film, Broken Memories.

“He’s had a 65-year career where he has never broken out as a movie star,” she told People. “He’s never made the money that people dream of, and yet he’s carved out this incredibly unique and remarkable and beautiful career of a character actor. He’s an example of that stick-to-it-ness and what that adds up to in a life.”