Downey Jr. confirmed the news in an Instagram post, sharing a photograph of his father while noting that Downey Sr. “passed peacefully in his sleep” after dealing with “the ravages of Parkinson’s” for some years.
Last night, dad passed peacefully in his sleep after years of enduring the ravages of Parkinson’s,” Downey Jr. wrote in his post.
Perhaps best known for writing and directing the underground film Putney Swope, Downey Sr. rose to fame after the 1969 film was given a mainstream release and shocked audiences at the time.