Veteran actor Ron Glass has passed away at the age of 71.

Although primarily known for playing Shepherd Derrial Book in Joss Whedon's cult sci-fi TV series, Firefly, Glass also starred in a variety of well-known TV shows. He voiced the character of Randy Carmichael in Rugrats and the spin-off, All Grown Up!, where he reprised his role. As well as this, Glass also starred in the US remake of the cult comedy Death At A Funeral.

His former cast members, including Nathan Fillion and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as Firefly creator Joss Whedon paid their respects on Twitter.