Marcus D'Amico, the actor best known for his role on Tales of the City, died earlier this month in England at age 55.

D'Amico originated the role of Michael “Mouse” Tolliver in the 1993 television adaptation of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City. D'Amico did not return to the role in the following three adaptations.

The actor's former manager, Patrick Baca, said that D'Amico died from bronchial pneumonia. His sister, Melissa D'Amico, said that he died on December 16 at his home in Oxfordshire, Deadline reported.

“Not only have I lost my beautiful brother but the world has lost an incredibly talented actor and director,” Melissa D'Amico said in a tweet. “Words cannot express how much I miss him.”

Maupin explained the decision to recast the role of Mouse with Paul Hopkins in the 1998 and 2001 sequels. Murray Bartlett (Looking) played the role in Netflix's 2019 adaptation.

(Related: Murray Bartlett says Tales of the City speaks “about family.”)

“Despite the rumors, it is not true that Marcus D'Amico wasn't invited back because of issues surrounding his sexuality,” Maupin said. “The production team met Marcus and he expressed 'ambivalence' about returning to the role of Mouse. The director felt it was important to find someone who would enthusiastically embrace the role.”

D'Amico also originated the role of Louis – another gay role – in the National Theatre's 1992 production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America, earning the actor an Olivier Award acting nomination.

D'Amico was born in Germany but raised in the UK. He split his time between London and Los Angeles.