Brian McCardie's sister says he's 'gone much too soon' after Line of Duty ... trends now

The grief-stricken sister of Line of Duty star Brian McCardie says his family are 'devastated' and that her brother 'is gone much too soon' after he was found dead at his home aged 59. 

Sarah McCardie announced her sibling's death in a heart-wrenching statement on X as she told how 'we love him and will miss him greatly'.

Sarah, herself an actor and director who starred in ITV television drama Irvine Welsh's Crime, said her brother had 'touched many lives'. 

Producers of Line of Duty Jed Mercurio and Simon Heath also paid an emotional tribute in a joint statement in which they described Brian as an 'incredibly talented actor'.  

Scottish star Brian was best known for playing mafia boss John Thomas 'Tommy' Hunter in BBC crime drama Line of Duty, but also appeared in Outlander and had joined the cast of series prequel Blood of My Blood.

Brian recently appeared in the hit BBC prison drama Time, starring Sean Bean and Stephen Graham - and before that hit the big time with a prominent role in action sequel Speed 2 alongside Sandra Bullock.

Brian's sister Sarah took to X, that her sibling was gone 'much too soon'. 

The post, which revealed that he died on Sunday, prompted dozens of tributes from fans, friends and fellow actors.

Sarah said: 'It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brian James McCardie, beloved son, brother, uncle and dear friend to so many.

'Brian passed away suddenly at home on Sunday 28th April. A wonderful and passionate actor on stage and screen, Brian loved his work and touched many lives, and is gone much too soon.'

She continued: 'We love him and will miss him greatly; please remember Brian in your thoughts.'

Sarah later told BBC Scotland that the family were 'devastated' by his death.

Neighbours of Sarah have told of their memories seeing Brian visit her, with many saying they’re 'totally gutted' about his death.

Lisa Sneddon, 42, said: 'I said to my neighbour just last week "I’ve not seen Brian around for a while", so I was totally gutted when I read online that he had died.

'He was a brilliant guy, and he always took time to speak to people if they stopped him in the street - my wee boy has had loads of pictures taken with him.

'Everyone around here is pretty shocked because even though we don’t exactly know him personally, it felt like we did because you seen him often.

'My thoughts are with his family and friends.'

Another person on the street added: 'I can’t believe it, it's really very sad. Brian was a top actor and a great guy - I've had many chats with him in the passing, as have many people around here.

'It's like we all knew him personally, he was just so warm and easy to talk to. It's not often someone as famous as him is like that.

'Everyone always used to ask if there was going to another Line of Duty, and he would always replied "wait and see", and wink.

'I really feel it for Sarah and all his family, they all loved him dearly.'

While John Davies, 34, said: 'He was a legend. We all loved seeing him around here when he was visiting his sister. I can remember when I first clocked him, I told all my mates and they didn't believe me until one day I was out walking my dog with a mate and there he was.

'Straight away I shouted across the street to him, and he gave us a wave. The two of us ran over and got a picture with him, he was proper down to earth and we had some banter. I feel pretty gutted. 59 is so young.'