'Forever smiling with you': Bill Paxton's son James pays tribute to late actor with touching Instagram post
Bill Paxton's son has paid tribute to his late father on social media.
James, 23, shared two throwback photos of the actor, who passed away suddenly last month at the age of 61.
On Friday James, also an actor, posted a selfie of himself with the Aliens star court-side at a basketball game which he captioned: 'Forever smiling with you.'
'Forever smiling with you': Bill Paxton's son James paid tribute to the late actor with a throwback photo on Friday
A week ago, alongside a photo of James as a baby being pushed by his father in a toy train, he wrote: 'I'll love you forever, Dad. Could never possibly put into words how I feel about you.'
Bill died at the age of 61 after suffering a stroke during heart surgery.
A family representative said in a statement: 'It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery.
'A loving husband and father, Bill began his career in Hollywood working on films in the art department and went on to have an illustrious career spanning four decades as a beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker.
Gone too soon: A week ago James posted this photo of him as a baby with the actor who passed away last month aged 61
'Bill’s passion for the arts was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth and tireless energy were undeniable.
The Texas native appeared in dozens of movies and television shows throughout his career.
He got his start on the big screen in Crazy Mama in 1975, and went on to star in some of the most popular films of the 1980s, from a brief appearance as a blue-haired punk opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator to memorable roles in True Lies, Titanic and Apollo 13.
Bill eerily discussed his battle with heart damage weeks before his untimely death.
The esteemed actor revealed that after contracting rheumatic fever as a teenager his health had suffered.
Sudden loss: Bill died at the age of 61 after complications from surgery last month
Speaking on Marc Maron's WTF podcast, the Twister star revealed that he was 13 when he caught the infection which left him on bed rest.
He explained: 'I woke up one night. I had been to a hockey game, and I woke up one night and I had a lot of pain in my left wrist.'
As Bill explained rheumatic fever could 'damage the heart valves', the host went on to ask if he had experienced heart damage since.
'Well yeah,' Bill replied, adding 'Yeah, yeah, yeah.'
Speaking more about his ordeal and the bed rest he was ordered to do, Bill said: 'It kind of isolated me at an interesting age.
'Suddenly I was in this voyeuristic kind world, where I had TV but there wasn't much TV on in those days, and I read a lot and looked out the window at the golf course.'
He added that the cause of the infection was probably from a 'bad sore throat'.
Bill is survived by wife Louise Newbury and their two children James and Lydia, 19.
Bill is survived by wife Louise Newbury and their two children James and Lydia, 19. The family are pictured in September 2005
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