Hollywood is mourning the loss of Rio Hackford, the son of director Taylor Hackford and the stepson of Helen Mirren.
The 51-year-old died of uveal melanoma, a very aggressive and rare form of cancer, on April 14, Taylor and Helen told E! News in a statement. He worked as worked as a club owner and actor in projects including The Mandalorian and Treme.
"Helen and I are both inspired by the life of our son and stepson, Rio Hackford, and heartbroken by his loss," the statement read. "His life showed us how to live in generosity and community. He shared his life's journey with so many who now mourn him, and at the same time, celebrate their fortune in knowing him."
The couple, who have been married since 1997, added, "We would beg everyone reading this to get their eyes tested at least once a year which might save their loved ones from this cancer."
In the wake of Rio's passing, Helen also paid tribute to her late stepson by sharing a throwback photo of the actor on Instagram. Alongside the snapshot, the Oscar winner wrote, "El Rio."
Born on June 28, 1970 to Taylor and Georgie Hackford, Rio started his acting career in the '90s with small parts in Pretty Woman and Strange Days. He continued working in film throughout the aughts—appearing in movies like Jonah Hex, Raising Helen and Fred Claus—before finding success as Toby in HBO's Treme.
From there, he focused on television work with roles in True Detective, Togetherness and The O.J. Simpson Trial: American Crime Story. He portrayed Riot Mar and droid IG-11, who was voiced by Taiki Waititi, in several episodes of The Mandalorian. Most recently, he made an appearance as a manager in Hulu's Pam & Tommy.
Outside of acting, Rio owned several clubs across the United States, including One Eyed Jack and Pal's Lounge in New Orleans, The Homestead in San Francisco and El Dorado in Los Angeles.
His friend, screenwriter D.V. DeVincentis, paid tribute to Rio's passion for hospitality and love of life on Instagram, saying that he "was more attuned to experience than anyone I've ever known."
"He would stop what was happening to point it out, compel you to pay attention. He would order you a must-have experience from a beloved menu and hold your eye as you paid attention to what was happening in your mouth," he recalled, adding that Rio often was the go-to man for "what incredible meal or bar was in your vicinity, a gourmand GPS thrumming at all times, for you."
He continued, "Worthy experience isn't everywhere. But Rio knew the closest to you at any given moment, and keeping track of these precious possibilities for you was his most fluent language of love. Rio was the apex curator of experience, it was his oxygen, his life."
In a statement provided to E! News, Vince Vaughn, who worked with Rio in Swingers and Fred Claus, described his late friend as "loyal and funny as anyone could be."
"Rio was the best ever," he said. "Truly one of a kind."
Meanwhile, Renée Zellweger called Rio a "titan of kindness, love, class, courage. And cool. A legend."
"Rio just knew things. Esoteric things. Off the map things. Secret things. Wonderful things," Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme shared. "He knew these things because of his charm, wit, honesty, character & tough personality. He was a real man in a sea of Poseurs."
Rio is survived by numerous friends and family, including his wife Libby Hackford, his two children Waylon and Buck Hackford and his brother Alex Hackford.