'Sons of Anarchy' Stars Pay Tribute to William Lucking After Death Aged 80

William Lucking, best known for his role as Piney Winston in the FX drama Sons of Anarchy, has died at the age of 80.

He died at his home in Las Vegas on October 18, according to an obituary posted on Tuesday by his friend, Stephen Macht.

Suits actor Macht posted the tribute on Facebook, saying it had been written by Lucking's wife, Sigrid Insull Lucking.

Macht added his own heartfelt farewell: "Bill Lucking was a friend for 46 years. Bill truly was a 'lion,' and his memory will always be a blessing!"

In the obituary for her husband, Sigrid Insull Lucking wrote: "Although William often played toughs and strongmen, in his actual life he was an elegant man with a brilliant intellect who loved to argue about politics and current affairs, discuss philosophy and physics, and assert fine-pointed opinions about art and poetry.

"He was a giant of a man with the soul of a poet, one who 'contained…a tension of sorts within his being…like a boulder teetering on a hill…or a balloon expanding towards its extreme,' as one friend put it."

As news of Lucking's death circulated, a number of his Sons of Anarchy co-stars posted tributes to him on social media.

Kim Coates, who played Alexander "Tig" Trager on the show, wrote on Twitter: "Never ever gonna forget this guy. Billy broke the mold of pretty much everything he did and accomplished The times we all had on set are legendary... just like Piney ... Miss you brother. RIP. Tig x."

Actor Theo Rossi, who played "Juice" Ortiz, posted a photo of Lucking with the caption: "WE were all on a boat. It was in the AM and it was chaos.

"BUT it didn't matter, because like many times before, I was fortunate to listen and learn from this knowledgeable steadfast oak of a Human. One of one, none before and none to come. Give 'em hell BILL!"

Kristen Renton tweeted: "RIP sir..... it was such an honor to work with you on ⁦@SonsofAnarchy⁩. You had a presence unlike any other. You will truly be missed."

Emilio Rivera, who played Marcus Álvarez on the show, shared a photo of himself with Lucking on his Instagram account.

"Rest In Peace Mr.William Lucking," Rivera wrote. "Thank You for the Stories and the Advice. Soft Spoken Gentle Giant, Very Talented Still Actor."

David Labrava, who played Happy Lowman, wrote: "RIP Bill aka 'Piney.' Always a gentleman, always laid back. You will be missed. See you on the other side."

In another tweet, Labrava shared a memory from the Sons of Anarchy set, writing: "One time on set after a long shoot @Theorossi walked up to Bill and said, 'Bill can I ask you a question?'

"Without breaking stride Bill said, 'If you want a friend in this business buy a dog.' Then he grabbed Theo and put his arm around him. One big happy family we are. RIP Bill."

Tommy Flanagan posted a photo of himself and Lucking on the show to his Instagram account, adding the caption: "When Bill was on set I was never far away. He shared his Wisdom. Love. Knowledge. Friendship. Few Stories.. Effortless actor.

"Roll camera, man's granite. Beautiful human. Rest William Lucking. Love and condolences to his family. Incredible wife. 'Mrs Bill'."

As well as appearing in 49 episodes of Sons of Anarchy between 2008 and 2011, Michigan-born Lucking also had roles on classic TV shows such as The A-Team and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, per The Hollywood Reporter.

On the big screen, he appeared in The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972), Oklahoma Crude (1973), Curtis Hanson's The River Wild (1994) and Steven Soderbergh's Erin Brockovich (2000).

Lucking, who was married to Sigrid, a costume designer, for 25 years, is also survived by his two daughters, Marjet Lucking and Juliana Ryan, two grandchildren and his sister, Ellen Founier. The actor's first wife, Mimi, who was the mother of his children, died of cancer in 1996.

His obituary concluded: "The family requests you toast his memory and celebrate his legacy."