Ernest Borgnine

Ernest Borgnine, an Oscar-winning film star, died at the age of 95 on Sunday.

Borgnine's family was shocked by the "sudden passing" of the actor, who had been in good health until a recent checkup, reports The Los Angeles Times.

His "95,000-mile checkup turned out to be a little more serious than we thought," said  Ernest Borgnine's longtime spokesman, Harry Flynn.

The Oscar winner died of renal failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center around 1:30 p.m. Sunday, with his wife and children at his side, Flynn told The Associated Press.

"Mr. Borgnine's family is deeply appreciative of the love and support of his many friends, associates and fans around the world," his family said in a statement.

Borgnine appeared in over 200 movies. He is best known for his blustery and villainous roles. In 1953's Oscar-winning "From Here to Eternity," Borgnine played brutal sergeant Fatso Judson.
He took Oscar home in 1955's "Marty," a low-budged film based on a paddy Chayefsky TV play, in which he was a lovelorn butcher.

"The Oscar made me a star, and I'm grateful," Borgnine said in an interview in 1966. "But I feel had I not won the Oscar I wouldn't have gotten into the messes I did in my personal life."

Borgnine was also known for his voice of Mermaid Man in the animation SpongeBob SquarePants.
At age 92, he earned an Emmy Award nomination for his work on the series ER.

The movie star went through five marriages, including one to singer Ethel Merman in 1960s, which lasted less than six weeks.
His fifth wife, Tova Traesnaeus, however, has kept her marriage to Borgnine for the longest time.
In 2007, Borgnine happily told the AP that their 34-year-long marriage is "longer than the total of my four other marriages."

Borgnine is survived by his children Nancee, Cristofer and Sharon Borgnine, and David Johnson, six grandchildren, and a sister.

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