He was 83, but we thought he would always be around. After half of century of acting, directing and producing movies, the famous actor lost his battle against cancer, at the end of almost two years of fighting the disease.

Word of his illness was first out earlier this year, when Newman, citing health issues, dropped out of directing a fall production of "Of Mice and Men." He finished chemotherapy treatment in August, but said he was “doing nicely,” despite rumors that he didn’t have much to live.

The ten-time Oscar nominee also announced last year his retirement from the silverscreen, saying, "I'm not able to work anymore ... at the level that I would want to. You start to lose your memory, you start to lose your confidence, you start to lose your invention."

Still, the announce of the actor’s death came as a shock to the world, as most of us living today got used to seeing his sparkling blue eyes and unmistakable smile in movies for all our lives. He died quietly at his farmhouse near Westport, Conn., surrounded by his family and close friends, said his Los Angeles-based publicist Jeff Sanderson.

A well-known philanthropist, Paul Newman reportedly gave more than $250 million to thousands of charities worldwide, through his famous "Newman's Own," a company, founded In 1982 that began producing salad dressing and now also makes pasta sauce, lemonade, popcorn, salsa and dog food. All proceeds from the sale of Newman's Own products, after taxes, are given away to charity programs, like the 1999 donation of $250,000, for the relief of Kosovo refugees or the $10 million for the Kenyon College in 2007.

In 1988, the actor and his wife for 50 years, Joanne Woodward, founded, the “Hole in the Wall Gang Camp,” named after the outlaws in ” Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969), a residential summer camp located in Ashford, Connecticut where about 13,000 terminally ill children can enjoy their vacation every year, free of charge.

But aside from his impressive generosity and altruism, Paul Newman was a great actor, a silver screen legend for 50 years and brought to life some of the most memorable characters of all time in movies like “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” opposite Elisabeth Taylor, “The Hustler”, and “Cool Hand Luke.”

He then starred in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Sting” along with fellow blue-eyed-wonderboy Robert Redford, making the two one of the greatest pair that Hollywood has ever seen.

His role of "Fast" Eddie Felson in the Martin Scorsese directed “The Color of Money” (1986) landed Newman an Academy Award for best actor, which added-up to the other honorary Oscars he received.

Just like Empire Magazine once named him, putting him on the same shortilist with Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, and Jack Nicholson, he was “A God Among Us" and he will be forever missed by millions all around the world.

The death of Hollywood legend Paul Newman at age 83 of lung cancer was mourned around the country on Saturday.

Robert Redford, 71, his co-star in the 1969 classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and the 1973 The Sting, said he had lost "a real friend."

"There is a point where feelings go beyond words," Redford told Entertainment Tonight.

The two Hollywood legends wanted to make one more movie together, but Newman retired last year, saying he did not feel like taking on any more projects.

Actress Meryl Streep said there was no one like him, and that he had lived a life to be proud of, noting his commitment to family, his work on behalf of the less fortunate.

Actress Julia Roberts told People magazine that Newman was her "hero" for his social engagement.

Actor George Clooney said that Newman had raised the bar so high in terms of standards not only as an actor but also for ordinary people, it was difficult for anyone to reach his heights.

"We will miss him very much," Clooney said.

Former president Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton called him an "American icon, philanthropist and champion for children" and said he had influenced many "through his endless kindness and generosity."

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a former action star, called him the "ultimate cool type," a brilliant actor and a Renaissance man.

Italian film diva Gina Lollobrigida called Newman a "wonderful, sincere human being and actor," who lived his life away from the Hollywood glitter and gave much to international cinema.

British actor Daniel Craig, who worked with Newman in Road to Perdition, called Newman one of the greatest actors of all times and a wonderful man, saying an era had ended with his death.

Oscar winner Kevin Spacey called Newman a modest "giant" who always claimed he had just been lucky, when everyone knew it was his talent, humour and large heart that made him a star.

According to rare interviews from past years that were re-run on US television, Newman once said: "I've been very lucky. I try to acknowledge it by giving something to people for whom luck has been brutal."