Credit: 20th Century FoxAdan Canto – known for playing the superhero Sunspot in the X-Men franchise – passed away on Monday at the age of 42 following his battle with appendiceal cancer.
Canto started his career as a musician, spending five years working in Mexico City before turning to acting. After starring in several Spanish-language projects, he made his debut on American television in 2013 as Paul Torres in the Fox drama The Following.
The next year, Canto starred as Sunspot – a mutant character with the ability to absorb and project solar energy – in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Sunspot appears alongside Kitty Pryde (Elliot Page), Daniel Cudmore (Colossus), and Booboo Stewart (Warpath) as one of the remaining X-Men in the film’s opening, set in a dystopian version of 2023 where robots are hunting down both mutants and humans with the ability to have mutant children.
“It wasn’t entirely a new world because I had followed the previous movies,” Canto explained to Fandango ahead of the film’s release. “I did jump into the comic books world a bit to understand: Who is this guy? What’s his life like?”
Canto’s most recent regular role was as the gangster Arman Morales in Fox’s crime drama The Cleaning Lady. His role as Morales saw him offer to protect a cleaner (played by Elodie Yung) and her son in exchange for her cleaning services. Canto appeared in both of the show’s first two seasons, with the third season currently in production.
Deadline reports that he was yet to join his co-stars for filming due to his illness but was planning on rejoining the show later on in the season. The second season ended with Morales being imprisoned for his crimes.
He also appeared in an episode of Netflix’s Narcos and had a main role in all three seasons of Designated Survivor alongside Keifer Sutherland.
Warner Bros. and Fox Entertainment released a joint statement on Canto’s passing in which they praised him on both a personal and professional level.
We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Adan Canto. A wonderful actor and dear friend, we were honored to have him as part of the Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment families since his U.S. debut in The Following more than a decade ago. Most recently, he lit up the screen in The Cleaning Lady with a powerful performance that showcased his artistry, range, depth and vulnerability. This is an unfathomable loss, and we grieve alongside his wife Stephanie, their children and loved ones. We will miss Adan dearly.
Canto is survived by his wife, American sculptor and painter Stephanie Lindquist who he met while filming The Following, and their two children, Roman Alder and Eve Josephine.