'Mad Max' actor Kjell Nilsson dies aged 76 in Australia

Nilsson died on Thursday (2), in Queensland, surrounded by people close to him, after living with kidney disease for years. In a text published on Facebook, the artist's family said that he faced the problem for around four and a half years, with dialysis sessions three times a week.

The family described the period as exhausting and stated that the actor decided to stop dialysis in the last few days. "It was a long and painful journey, filled with countless battles to overcome, including the gradual loss of her bodily autonomy," it reads.

According to the report, Nilsson died in his sleep and spent the previous days peacefully. "The days leading up to his death were filled with joy, gratitude, peace and acceptance. He did it his way."

The text also says that doctors had predicted, in 2022, that he would not make it to his first Christmas after kidney failure. "He proved them wrong. He celebrated four more Christmases, which gave him four precious extra years with the people he loved most."

Born in Sweden, Nilsson had a career as an Olympic-level weightlifter before acting. According to his family, he moved to Australia in 1980 to train Swedish athletes for the Moscow Games.

It was in the country that he met actress Kate Ferguson, whom he married, and later returned to live in Australia. Later, he began to seek opportunities in the film industry.

In "Mad Max 2" Nilsson played the film's main villain, Lord Humungus. The family said he lived "a colorful life on his own terms, with unwavering conviction, an adventurous heart, and a spirit that refused to surrender."

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