http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=144721750

Geoffrey Lewis, the bucolic character actor known best for the 1970s Clint Eastwood movies he appeared in, died in his son Miles’s arms Tuesday after suffering cardiac arrest during a morning workout. He was 79 years old.

Lewis had suffered ill health and dementia for some time, but had been cared for by his children, including Miles, who posted a notice to his Facebook page Tuesday evening. “We were at our Tuesday morning workout at the Motion Picture Hospital in Woodland Hills and he experienced cardiac arrest. He stopped breathing in my arms. We’d had a good morning, talking about my trip to Japan,” Miles wrote.

Geoffrey Lewis had also been a dedicated Scientologist who was the father of church member Juliette Lewis, and we’re told that Geoffrey had attained Operating Thetan Level Five on Scientology’s “Bridge to Total Freedom.” In a recent photo that Miles posted to his Facebook page, Lewis was visited by two old Scientology friends, musicians Chick Corea (left), and Geoff Levin.

We’re told that Lewis had two families. He was married from 1973 to 1975 to graphic designer Glenis Batley and they had three children, Juliette, Lightfield, and Brandy, all of whom are Scientologists.

He later married musician Paula Hochhalter and started a second family, with children Miles, Matthew, and Hannah, and none of them are Scientologists.

We reached out to Miles and he sent us this to add to what he already said on Facebook: “He was one of the great American character actors and a brilliant voice in theatrical story-telling through his classic audio series Celestial Navigations. After studying dance and theater in New York he eventually found Hollywood success, starring in such films as The Culpepper Cattle Company, High Plains Drifter, and Every Which Way But Loose. He continued to act in television, film, and on stage through the early 2000s. While struggling with dementia and Parkinsons in his last years, he remained humorous, positive, and supportive as the grand old man of his large, local, and loving family.”