Heartland star Robert Cormier tragically dies aged 33

The family of Heartland star Robert Cormier has confirmed the actor has passed away at the age of 33.

After first earning money as a bartender, Cormier managed to secure a guest spot on ABC’s Designated Survivor and has since appeared in a number of roles for both television and streaming.

The actor played Finn Cotter in Canada's long-running series, Heartland, where his character was considered to be a potential love interest for Amber Marshall’s character, Amy Fleming.

The new series of Heartland is set to premiere on 2 October and Cormier is expected to feature, but his family announced this week that he passed away on Friday (23 September).

Cormier's sister, Stephanie, said the 33-year-old died in a hospital in Etobicoke, Ontario, after suffering injuries in a fall. The family has not released any other information regarding the incident that led to his death, but described him in a statement as an 'athlete, an actor and a great brother'.

They continued: "He had a passion for helping others and was always looking to achieve more. He enjoyed movie nights with his family and looked up greatly to his father. He impacted many people throughout his life, whether it was family, teammates and friends. Rob’s memory will live on through his passion for art and film as well as his three sisters, who meant the world to him.”

A number of Cormier's former co-workers have paid tribute to the late actor in the wake of his death, with the channel that airs Heartland sharing its condolences in a post on Twitter.

The statement read: "Robert Cormier, aka Heartland's Finn, was an amazing talent, gone too soon. We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing. Our sincere condolences go out to his friends, family, and co-workers."

Arguably Cormier's most prominent role came in 2019, when he appeared as Kit Jennings in the Netflix series Slasher.

Ian Carpenter, who worked as a showrunner on Slasher, honoured the actor in a post which read: "It's with a heavy heart that we've learned of the passing of Robert Cormier who brought such life to Kit on Slasher Solstice. He was uniquely talented, and a sweet, generous friend we all loved working with. Our thoughts are with him and his family through this difficult time."

Cormier is survived by his parents, Robert and Lisa, his sisters Brittany, Krystal and Stephanie, and his grandmother Joanne.