Max Payne Actor James McCaffrey Dead at 65 After Cancer Battle

The gaming community is mourning a painful loss. 

James McCaffrey, who voiced the character Max Payne in the eponymous video game series, died on Dec. 17, his rep confirmed to Variety. He was 65. 

The voice actor died after a battle with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, per multiple outlets. 

E! News has reached out to James' rep for confirmation but has not yet heard back. 

In addition to lending his voice to the Max Payne series, McCaffrey also brought to life the character of Alex Casey in the first and second installment of Alan Wake, the newer of which was just released this year. 

Prior to his work in video game narration, McCaffrey also enjoyed a successful career in television. He was known for his work as the firefighter and 9/11 victim Jimmy Keefe on Rescue Me, as well as roles in the 1990s dramas Viper and New York Undercover, in which he played Michael Payton/Joe Astor and Captain Arthur O'Byrne respectively. 

A native of Albany, NY, McCaffrey was married to fellow actress Rochelle Boström, who also appeared in Viper.

And while his voice could be found on many a video game, in 2020 the actor shared that he really was "not a big fan" of them, instead pointing to one of his onscreen roles as his favorite. 

"Probably Jimmy Keefe in the TV series Rescue Me for FX," he said to Saratoga Living when the question was posed in an interview published in June of that year. "Just because he was a ghost and he died in the World Trade Center on September 11."

In the wake of McCaffrey's passing, fans and fellow actors alike were paying tribute.

"James McCaffrey we were lucky to have known you," Entourage's Kevin Dillon wrote on a Dec. 18 Instagram post. "My best friend you will be missed."

And among the comments on Dillon's post was one from a fan reading, "The voice of mine and many other's childhoods as the titular Max Payne. Incredible in his portrayal of Jimmy Keefe. Flawless in Alan Wake and Control. A proper presence in all his works. Rest In Peace."