'Green Gables' star Jonathan Crombie dies at 48 [View all]

[ND-Dem]

For many women of Generation X, Jonathan Crombie was their first PBS crush, even if they didn't know his name.

He played Gilbert Blythe, the school rival, boyfriend and eventual husband of the heroine in the beloved Anne of Green Gables movies.

Crombie, 48, died of a brain hemmorhage Wednesday In New York, his sister Carrie told the Canadian Broadcasting Company Saturday.

Though he would go on to star in the Broadway play The Drowsy Chaperone, Crombie is best remembered for his work as Gilbert. He was never bothered by the fame it brought him and even answered to the name Gil when recognized on the street, she says.

"I think he was really proud of being Gilbert Blythe and was happy to answer any questions," she told the CBC. "He really enjoyed that series and was happy, very proud of it — we all were," she said.

The son of former Toronto mayor and Canadian Cabinet minister David Crombie, he beat out fellow Canadian and future 90210 star Jason Priestly for the role. "We never screen-tested him," Green Gables producer Kevin Sullivan told the CBC. "We met him and he was cast. It was a perfect storm. ... It just all worked perfectly."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2015/04/18/jonathan-crombie-anne-of-green-gables-death/25994191/