Stewart McLean appeared on shows such as Virgin River before he was reported missing and found dead.
McLean started acting in 2015 with roles in projects such as Arrow, Supernatural, The 100, Siren and more. More recently, the actor appeared on The Irrational, Happy Face and Murder in a Small Town before being cast as Barfly on Virgin River.
Based on Robyn Carr’s book series, Virgin River follows the lives of residents living in a small town in Northern California, including Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson). The hit series, which premiered in 2019, also stars Colin Lawrence, Annette O’Toole, Tim Matheson, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Sarah Dugdale, Zibby Allen, Marco Grazzini, Mark Ghanimé and Kai Bradbury.
With seven seasons under its belt, Netflix’s hit series is now following Mel and Jack’s journey to become parents. The show has already been renewed for an eighth season, which is expected to start filming shortly.
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McLean appeared in the third episode of season 7, which returned in March. Two months later, McLean was reported missing after he was last seen at his home in Lions Bay, British Columbia, Canada. Local police eventually found him dead at age 45 .
“It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our beloved client, Stew McLean. I was fortunate to have worked with Stew for more than 10 years,” McLean’s talent agent, Jodi Caplan, shared in a Facebook statement. “He was always such a pleasure to deal with — dedicated, professional, eager and endlessly funny!”
Caplan concluded, “Many casting directors have reached out to share their condolences with Stew’s family and with our agency, and every message says the same thing: what a truly great guy he was, and how deeply he will be missed.”
McLean’s friend Jeff Seymour opened up about the actor’s disappearance.
“He was meticulous about everything and there would be no chance he blew it off or slept too late,” Seymour told the Canadian Press on Friday, May 22. “As soon as I heard he didn’t make it on Saturday morning, I knew there was big trouble.”
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Seymour recalled knowing that something was wrong, adding, “It was really a wonderful week, and then I heard this, and it’s just, it’s so hard to comprehend when something like this happens. It just doesn’t make any sense. He was incredibly situationally aware.”
According to Seymour, he became “fast friends” with McLean eight years ago.
“I don’t know how anybody could get the drop on Stew,” Seymour said of McLean’s disappearance while suspecting foul play. “It’s so crushing, and it hits me in ways I’ll suddenly think, ah, Stu, and I realize I can’t call him now.”
He continued, “Everybody loved this guy, it wasn’t like he was in nefarious activities or, you know, kind of ran with another crowd. I mean, he was a bit of a loner. He spent a lot of time reading and being at his home out there in Squamish.”
A homicide investigation into McLean’s death was opened. “It’s just a shocker,” Seymour said. “I would love to see justice served.”
