Tom Stoppard, who is best known for writing the Oscar-winning drama Shakespeare in Love, has sadly died at the age of 88.
A statement from United Agents confirming his passing read: "We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved client and friend, Tom Stoppard, has died peacefully at home in Dorset, surrounded by his family.
"He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language. It was an honour to work with Tom and to know him."
Away from Shakespeare in Love, the late writer was also known for plays like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Jumpers and Leopoldstadt, the latter of which won both an Olivier and a Tony Award. The 88-year-old is also remembered for writing the screenplays for Billy Bathgate, Enigma and Parade's End.
Tom, who received a knighthood in 1997, leaves behind his wife, Sabrina Guinness, and four children. Meet the star's family below…
Tom's wife and exes
The late playwright was first married in 1965 when he wed nurse Josie Ingle. The couple welcomed two sons, Oliver and Barnaby, however, in 1972, the couple split.
The star's second marriage was to doctor and TV presenter Miriam Stern, with the pair walking down the aisle in 1972. The duo welcomed sons Ed and Will and remained together for 20 years until they split in 1992.
It's believed that the pair split due to the pressures of their professional careers, with Tom entering into a relationship with actress Felicity Kendal in 1991, a year before he and Miriam divorced.
Tom and Felicity had an on-off relationship between 1991 and 1998, however, the pair don't often speak of their romance, with Felicity once saying: "I don't talk about him. He's married and he doesn't like it... he is off limits." The pair seemed to remain close, however, with Felicity and earlier this year, they reunited when Felicity took on the role of Eleanor Swan in Tom's play, Indian Ink.
In 2014, Tom married for the third time, wedding producer Sabrina Guinness, a member of the iconic Guinness family. The pair had known each other for 20 years before they became romantic and speaking to The Daily Telegraph in 2017, he admitted he tried to stop her from wooing him.
Addressing their differences in the social scene, he said: "I concluded that she really didn't want to have a consort that is just a curmudgeon."
Sharing an insight into their relationship, he added: "Yesterday, Sabrina went home [to their house in Dorset]. We make our bed every single morning without fail; but the moment I know I'm on my own, the idea of making my bed seems to me completely absurd. I'm going to get back into it tonight. Why would I make it again?"
Famous son
Tom is a father to four sons, and one of them, Ed, has followed the star into the world of showbusiness. The star made his debut in The Little Vampire in 2000 and has since appeared in Brideshead Revisited, Golda, The Crown and Knightfall.
Despite being a successful stage and screen actor, the star admitted in 2020 interview with The Guardian, that there were some difficulties with his surname. "It was an albatross for me, which ties into beating myself up," he told the publication.
Tom, however, was incredibly proud of his son, telling The Standard in 2012: "First of all, I'm very proud of him, because I didn't get him into the show and he's very good in it. And I find it remarkably easy to forget that he's my Ed when I'm watching a rehearsal. I hardly ever experience that little stab of pleasure when I think, oh my goodness, it's Ed."
Tom's other three sons have varied careers, with Oliver working as a postman, Barnaby running a London restaurant after working as a video director and technician, while William is the manager for his wife, the professional violinist Linzi Stoppard.
Speaking of his sons, he reflected: "Life is stressful for Ed, with three small children, but Will works incredibly hard, and poor Barney I think works harder than any of my children. Oliver, my eldest, may be in a certain sense the successful one because he actually does live with much less stress than the other three."