‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul’ Actor Mark Margolis Dead at 83: ‘He Was One of a Kind’

Mark Margolis, best known for his roles in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, has died.

PEOPLE can confirm that Margolis died on Thursday at age 83 at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. His son Morgan Margolis, the CEO of Knitting Factory Entertainment, announced the late actor’s death on Friday, confirming that his father had a short illness beforehand.

Morgan and his mother Jacqueline, who had been married to the star for 61 years, were by Margolis’s bedside at the time of his death. He is survived by son Morgan’s wife Heide and their three sons Ben, Aidan and Henry. He is also survived by his brother and his wife, Jerome and Ann.

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“He was one of a kind,” Margolis’s manager, Robert Kolker of Red Letter Entertainment, said in a statement to Deadline. “We won’t see his likes again. He was a treasured client and a lifelong friend. I was lucky to know him.”

No further details were given surrounding his death. However, the Margolis family plans to hold a private memorial and funeral service in his honor.

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Born in Philadelphia to Fanya (née Fried) and Isidore, Margolis was a student at Temple University before leaving for New York City, where he studied acting. He eventually found on-screen success through roles in Scarface, Oz, Black Swan, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Santa Barbara and Gotham. His last credited role was in Your Honor opposite Bryan Cranston.

He also worked in the theater, appearing in Infidel Caesar, Uncle Sam and The Golem. He even founded Blue Dome, a touring theater company specializing in avant-garde productions.

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Margolis’s biggest role to date was as Hector “Tio” Salamanca in Cranston’s Breaking Bad. Playing the character, a former drug kingpin who was unable to speak or walk following a stroke, allowed him to earn an Emmy nomination in 2012.

He later reprised the role in the Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul, guest starring in seasons 2 through 6.

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