William Lucking, 'Sons of Anarchy' actor, dies at 80: 'An elegant man'

William Lucking, who starred in FX's "Sons of Anarchy," has died. He was 80.

The beloved actor died in his Las Vegas home on Oct. 18, his rep Mike Eisenstadt confirmed to USA TODAY Thursday. No cause of death has been revealed. 

"Although William often played toughs and strongmen, in his actual life he was an elegant man with a brilliant intellect who loved to argue about politics and current affairs, discuss philosophy and physics and assert fine-pointed opinions about art and poetry," his wife, Sigrid Insull Lucking, said in a statement. 

Actor Stephen Macht remembered Lucking, his friend for 46 years, as "a lion." 

"His memory will always be a blessing," he wrote on Facebook. 

Lucking's "Sons of Anarchy" co-star Kim Coates, who played Tig Trager, also paid tribute in a social media post.

"Never ever gonna forget this guy," he tweeted Thursday. "Billy broke the mold of pretty much everything he did and accomplished The times we all had on set are legendary… just like Piney … Miss you brother. RIP."

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"I was fortunate to listen and learn from this knowledgeable steadfast oak of a Human. One of one, none before and none to come Give ‘em hell BILL!" tweeted actor Theo Rossi, who portrayed Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz in the FX crime drama. 

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Born in Michigan, Lucking was best known for his role as biker Piermont “Piney” Winston in “Sons of Anarchy” from 2008 to 2011. He also played Army Col. Francis Lynch on NBC's "The A-Team" from 1983 to 1984 and appeared in three episodes of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" as the Bajoran Furel from 1995 to 1997. 

His movie credits include "The Magnificent Seven Ride" (1972), "Oklahoma Crude" (1973), in which he starred alongside Faye Dunaway and George C. Scott, "The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder" (1974), "The River Wild" (1994), "Erin Brockovich" (2000) and "Contraband" (2012).

Lucking is survived by his wife Sigrid of 25 years, a former costume designer, as well as his two daughters, Marjet Lucking and Juliana Ryan, son-in-law, Derek Ryan, and two granddaughters, Quinlan and Lilian Ryan. He is also survived by his sister, Ellen Fournier.

He was previously married to Mimi Lucking, the mother of his children, who died of cancer in 1996. 

Contributing: Elise Brisco

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