The longtime on-screen partner of Terence Hill died peacefully in Rome. Spencer, whose real name was Carlo Pedersoli, was known among his fans as the "big friendly giant" of the screen because of his height and weight.

Reports say that Spencer's son, Giuseppe Pedersoli said: "He had all of us next to him and his last words were 'Thank you'."

Spencer, who was also a professional swimmer, played in more than 20 films from the 1950s to the 1980s. He grew to become a star of Spaghetti Westerns, known for his towering height and friendly spirit. 

He partnered with Terence Hill for a string of successful hits including 1970’s They Call Me Trinity, which became the highest-grossing Italian film of the time. A year later they beat their own record with the sequel Trinity is Still My Name.

Spencer was born in the southern Italian city of Naples in 1929, but later moved to Rome, where he became a promising swimmer.

In 1950, he was the first Italian to swim 100m in under one minute.

Spencer said he chose his name as a tribute to his favourite beer Budweiser and US actor Spencer Tracy.

As news of his death broke, a flood of online messages poured out, including Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renz, who tweeted “Ciao #BudSpencer We loved you so much.”

Sources: Hollywood reporter and BBC News

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