Indigenous actor David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu has died aged 68.
The famous Yolngu actor, from Ramingining in Arnhem Land, and a member of the Mandjalpingu clan died on Monday.
In his later years, Dalaithngu lived in Murray Bridge, South Australia.
For a man who defined Indigenous Australians in movies for half a century, it seemed fitting that Dalaithngu's last known public farewell was delivered on film.
'Thank you very much for watching me,' the 66-year-old actor said in a 2019 video after receiving a lifetime achievement award from NAIDOC, the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.
'Never forget me. While I am here, I will never forget you. I will still remember you, even though I am gone forever, I will still remember,' said the actor, whose daughters Phoebe and MaKia accepted the award on his behalf in Canberra, revealing he had lung cancer.
David Gulpilil (pictured) is a renowned actor and artist who has appeared in numerous iconic films (his family has allowed his image to be used after his death according to his wishes)
'One day soon he will go to the Dreamtime,' said Phoebe Marson, fighting back tears.
Born at Maningrida in Arnhem Land on July 1, 1953, David Dalaithngu grew up among the Yolngu people, far from the white man's world, becoming a skilled tracker, hunter and ceremonial dancer.
It was his ability as a dancer that gave him his big break as a 16-year-old. It brought him to the notice of visiting British filmmaker Nicolas Roeg, who handed him a leading role in the 1971 movie Walkabout.
The film and Dalaithngu were smash hits, and the actor travelled the world to promote the film, meeting famous entertainers like John Lennon and Bob Marley along the way.
He went on to star in a string of Australian box office hits including his "favourite" Storm Boy in 1976, The Last Wave a year later, Crocodile Dundee in 1986 and Rabbit-Proof Fence in 2002.
He also appeared in Baz Luhrmann's Australia in 2008 after acclaimed performances in arthouse films got his stalled career back on track.
They included the 2002 movie The Tracker, which he considered his "best film," portraying the relationship between white and Indigenous men in the early 1900s, as well as Ten Canoes in 2006, which showed Aboriginal culture before white
