RIP John Spencer
December 16, 2005 
West Wing actor John Spencer died from a heart attack Friday.
John Spencer, who played a dedicated politico on “The West Wing” who survived a serious illness to run for vice president, died of a heart attack Friday, his publicist said.
Spencer, 58, died at a Los Angeles hospital, said publicist Ron Hofmann. He would have been 59 next week.
Spencer played Leo McGarry, the chief of staff to President Jeb Bartlet (Martin Sheen) through the first few seasons of the NBC series. In a sad parallel to life, his character suffered a heart attack that forced him to give up his White House job.
John Spencer’s tough-yet-real Donald Rumsfeld-esque character was the single biggest reason I started watching The West Wing.
His acting style brought a lot to the political drama and Spencer will likely be best remembered for his role on the show. And rightly so. Thanks, John.
