Calgary actor Andrew Sparacino, ‘Tron,’ dies at 49
Posted Apr 10, 2023 1:06 pm.
Last Updated Apr 11, 2023 11:59 am.
Calgary actor and musician Andrew Sparacino, best known for playing “Tron” in the fan favourite film FUBAR, died Friday at a hospital in Nanaimo, B.C.
One of the stars of the movies, David Lawrence, shared the news on social media, remembering him as a poet, humorist, active listener, and a good friend.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the sad news of the passing of Andy Sparacino; rapper, musician, and actor both stage and screen,” the statement from Lawrence reads.
“And was a fixture of the Calgary indy music scene, often working as a bartender and landscaper to support his art.”
He was 49 years old.
R.I.P.
Andy Sparacino pic.twitter.com/2YiEORRa1q— GIVE'R TERRY ???? (@Terry_Cahill) April 8, 2023
“He fought but ultimately lost his long battle with addiction. He will be sorely missed by his many friends, family, and fans around the world,” Lawrence said.
“Consensus was Andy was the coolest and funniest guy at my high school, St. Mary’s in Calgary, Alberta. He was the sage, the wordsmith, ‘the one that got away.'”
Lawerence says his scenes in FUBAR were shot in a single afternoon with a few reshoots “to make sense of it all.”
In addition, he says Sparacino improvised all his lines and came up with the character name on his own.
“Although he was reluctant to lend his talents to the film because he was, and always will be, more than Tron,” Lawrence says.
“Rest in peace.”
Paul Spence, who plays Dean “The Deaner” Murdoch, also responded to the loss.
Farewell to my good friend Andy Sparacino, who died at the age of 49. With Andy magic was always lurking just beneath the surface like a geyser anxious to explode onto this mortal coil. His legacy is more than Tron, but in Fubar his genius has been immortalized. Paul aka Dean
— The Deaner (@Dean_Murdoch) April 9, 2023
“With Andy, magic was always lurking just beneath the surface like a geyser anxious to explode onto this mortal coil,” his tweet reads.
“His legacy is more than Tron, but in FUBAR, his genius has been immortalized.”
Sparacino had a GoFundMe set up to help get him treatment by Lawrence and Dan McKinnon, a musician in Calgary.
He had long been fighting a battle with intravenous drug addiction for nearly a decade, according to the page.
Its goal was to hit $20,000, and as of publishing, it neared $30,000.
The actor was also known for his roles in Legend of the Lich Lord and Lloyd the Conqueror.
-With files from Lisa Grant
Editor’s note: Sparacino was listed as having a role in Goon, but he was not in the film. This story has been corrected to include the 2015 film Legend of the Lich Lord.
