James McCaffrey, the voice of Max Payne, has died

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 24: Actor James McCaffrey attends "Almost Paris" Premiere - 2016 Tribeca Film Festival at Chelsea Bow Tie Cinemas on April 24, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Max Payne and Alan Wake voice actor James McCaffrey has died after a battle with cancer, according to a TMZ report. He was 65.

McCaffrey's death was initially revealed by actor Kevin Dillon, who paid tribute to his "best friend" in an Instagram post. After some confusion about whether it was actually the actor who had died, TMZ confirmed the report.

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"One of Dick Wolf's proteges, McCaffrey went on to a successful 35 year career in television and film," McCaffrey's rep told the site. "Trained at the Actor's Studio, he never lost his love for creating characters; however, his good looks often pushed him toward leading man roles."

McCaffrey appeared in numerous television shows and films over his career, including a long stretch as supporting character Jimmy Keefe in the award-winning series Rescue Me and the star of the 1990s show Viper. He also had appearances in popular series including Blue Bloods, Bull, Suits, Jessica Jones, The Glades, Law and Order, and numerous others.

To gamers, though, he's best known for his roles with Remedy: His performance as the title character in the Max Payne games was nothing short of iconic, and when Rockstar announced in 2009 that it planned to use a new voice actor for Max Payne 3, the response was so negative that Rockstar relented and brought McCaffrey back to the role. (Which, for the record, was absolutely the right move.)

Happy 20th birthday, Max Payne, from @SamLakeRMD (Max Payne), James McCaffrey (Max Payne), and a familiar leather jacket. 🧥🎂Happy anniversary to everyone at Remedy, @RockstarGames, @3DRealms, and to all of you who love the game. Let's celebrate using the hashtag #MaxPayne20! pic.twitter.com/8PYua4D8HIJuly 23, 2021

Lake paid a personal tribute to McCaffrey, calling him "a lovely man and a dear friend," and "a key part of the Remedy family."

"James was Max Payne, Thomas Zane, Zachariah Trench and finally Alex Casey," Lake tweeted. "I had the honor of sharing Max Payne’s role and Casey’s role with him. He was a joy to work with. I will cherish his memory and I miss him. My deepest condolences to his family. Rest in peace, Jim."

I’m heartbroken to hear the sad news of James McCaffrey’s passing. We worked together for more than 25 years. He was a lovely man and a dear friend. He was a key part of the Remedy family. He was a brilliant actor. No one could do what he did better than him. (1/2) — (Image credit: Sam Lake (Twitter))

James was Max Payne, Thomas Zane, Zachariah Trench and finally Alex Casey. I had the honor of sharing Max Payne’s role and Casey’s role with him. He was a joy to work with. I will cherish his memory and I miss him. My deepest condolences to his family. Rest in peace, Jim (2/2) — (Image credit: Sam Lake (Twitter))

In a tribute posted to Twitter, Remedy Entertainment said: "We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of our beloved friend and collaborator James McCaffrey, the iconic voice of Max Payne and Alex Casey. His remarkable talent gave life to our characters and left an enduring impact on our community. Our hearts go out to his family."

We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of our beloved friend and collaborator James McCaffrey, the iconic voice of Max Payne and Alex Casey. His remarkable talent gave life to our characters and left an enduring impact on our community. Our hearts go out to his family. — (Image credit: Remedy Entertainment (Twitter))

Rockstar Games, the publisher of Max Payne 2 and developer of Max Payne 3, also paid tribute to the actor behind one of its most memorable characters: "Rest in Peace James McCaffrey, the inimitable and commanding presence who brought Max Payne to life."

Rest in Peace James McCaffrey, the inimitable and commanding presence who brought Max Payne to life. — (Image credit: Rockstar Games (Twitter))

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.