Jonathan Crombie of ‘Anne of Green Gables’ fame, dead at 48

WASHINGTON — Jonathan Crombie, 48, the actor who played Gilbert Blythe on the popular CBC “Anne of Green Gables” miniseries, has died, CBC officials have confirmed.

The broadcasting network reported that Crombie’s sister confirmed that Crombie died of a brain hemorrhage in New York City this past Wednesday.

Crombie was best known for his role in “Anne of Green Gables” in the 1980, and was seen regularly after on stage and in television roles, including the “21 Jump Street” series and, most recently, in an episode of “The Good Wife.”

After the first “Anne of Green Gables” television series, he reprised his role in two sequels — “Anne of Avonlea” in 1987, and “Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story,” in 2000.

“I think he was really proud of being Gilbert Blythe,” his sister told CBC. “He really enjoyed that series and was happy, very proud of it — we all were.”

“I think his proudest part was when he played the lead in “Drowsy Chaperone” on Broadway,” his sister said. “That was just an amazing thing for him to be able to do.”

Crombie was born in Canada. His father, David Crombie, was the mayor of Toronto from 1972 to 1978, and later a federal Progressive Conservative cabinet minister.

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