Alec Baldwin pays tribute to late Miami Blues co-star Fred Ward

Fred Ward, a veteran actor of television and film, including The Right Stuff, Tremors and The Player, died on May 8, at the age of 79.

So far there’s no official word on an exact cause of death.

Alec Baldwin is the latest of Ward’s many former colleagues and friends to take to social media to share a heartfelt tribute after getting word of his passing.

Seemingly laying on his bed in a very relaxed state, Baldwin, 64, began his selfie video by sharing how he made a movie with Ward in 1988 called Miami Blues.

Baldwin played the character Frederick J. Frenger Jr., while Ward portrayed Sgt. Hoke Moseley. The film was released two years later in 1990.

After meeting with Ward ahead of time, the two eventually went down to Miami to shoot the neo-noir black comedy crime drama, which was produced by the late Jonathan Demme and written and directed by Demme’s friend George Armitage.

‘We went down to Miami. I think it was in the fall of 1988,’ Baldwin recalled, before adding that the film ended up being ‘one of the great experiences of my life.’

Baldwin also referenced the brilliance of actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, who played Susie Waggoner in the movie.

‘I got to work with the great, great, great, the singular Jennifer Jason Leigh,’ the Oscar nominated actor gushed. ‘She was just so amazing.’

Baldwin opened up about some of their time together, including when Ward introduced him to the famed 5th Street Gym, the boxing gym in Miami Beach where Muhammad Ali trained a number of times during his ride to the heavyweight championship in the 1960s.

Baldwin maintains Ward, who had a lifelong love of boxing, convinced him to train at the gym while they shot Miami Blues.

With his rock solid physique in mind, Baldwin revealed how he found it hard to believe that Ward was 79 when he died, while going on to describe him as ‘a more poetic Charles Bronson.’

‘He was always so fit and powerful physically, but yet Fred was a really, really interesting and unique guy,’ he said of his friend.

‘Anyway I am very sorry to hear of the passing of Fred Ward who made a lot of great films.’ he added, while also sharing a mention of his accomplishments as a screenwriter.

He ended with the a line in Spanish: ‘Vaya con dios, Fred Ward,’ which translates in English to: ‘go with God Fred Ward.’

The late actor’s publicist Ron Hofmann declined to reveal the cause of death after breaking the news of his passing last week.

However, Hofmann did reveal that the star spent the last years of his life painting, and that he had a last wish for his fans.

‘It was Fred Ward’s wish that any memorial tributes be made in the form of donations to the Boston University Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center,’ Hofmann told the New York Post.

The San Diego, California native began his career in the 1970s and went on to guest star on some television staples, as well as some of the well known films, including Escape from Alcatraz, Silkwood, Swing Shift, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins and Henry & June,, which was shot right before Miami Blues.

As the years went on he landed roles, big and small in such movies as Short Cuts, Tremors 2: Aftershocks, Enough and Sweet Home Alabama.

He most recently appeared in the second season of HBO’s True Detective as Eddie Velcoro, the retired cop father of Colin Farrell’s Det. Ray Velcoro. 

Ward, who was married three times, leaves behind his wife of over 26 years, Marie-France Ward.