Sharing the sad news on Facebook, the late actor's wife Collette admits to going through 'unimaginable heartbreak' as her 'beloved husband' died suddenly on Tuesday afternoon, March 9.
- Mar 12, 2021
AceShowbiz - Cliff Simon, who was best known for playing the villain Ba-al on the "Stargate SG 1" TV series, has sadly passed away. The actor died on Tuesday afternoon, March 9 in a kiteboarding accident on Topanga Beach in California, his wife has confirmed through a statement on Facebook. He was 58.
Sharing the sad news, Cliff's wife Collette wrote, "To Friends, family and fans, It is with unimaginable heartbreak that I am sharing with you, that my beloved husband, Cliff Simon, passed away at 12:30pm on Tuesday March 9, 2021. He was at Topanga Beach, California and sadly passed away after a tragic kiteboarding accident."
"He was known to most of you on this page as the villain you loved to hate, Ba'al, from Stargate SG-1. But as he said, 'acting is what I do, it's only a part of who I am,' " she said of her late actor husband. "And he was SO much more - a true original, an adventurer, a sailor, swimmer, dancer, actor, author."
Opening up about her pain dealing with the loss, Collete said, "There is a gaping hole where he once stood on this earth. He was loved by too many to mention and had a great impact on so many lives. He was an amazing and much loved brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend. He was and always will be the love of my life and there is unimaginable heartbreak."
She, however, saw "a small saving grace to this tragedy" in that "he was doing one of the things he loved most and passed away on the beach near the water, which was his temple." Acknowledging that "this is a shock and will hit hard" not only to her, but also everyone who knew Cliff personally or as an actor, she asked people to "respect our need for privacy at this time."
She went on sharing the "verse which Cliff loved and lived his life by." It read, "I would rather be ashes than dust!/ I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dryrot./ I would rather be a super meteor,/ every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet,/ The proper function of man is to live,/ not to exist./ I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them./ I shall use my time."
Details of the accident that took Cliff's life are not immediately available, but he was always known for being an adventurer. Born in South Africa, he competed in both swimming and gymnastics. After immigrating to England at a young age with his family, Cliff trained as a swimmer, qualifying for the British International Olympic team in 1984.
Cliff, however, never competed in the Games after deciding to quit and moving back to South Africa where he joined the South African Air Force. After his time in the service, he found work as a windsurfing instructor and model before branching out into acting.
He landed a role on South African TV Series "Egoli - Place of Gold", before moving to Hollywood. He appeared in a guest role on "Nash Bridges", which led to his recurring guest role as Ba'al on "Stargate SG-1". Cliff's acting credits also included guests spots on "Castle", "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service", "The Americans", "Days of Our Lives" and "24". He also wrote a book, "Paris Nights My Year at the Moulin Rouge".
