LOS ANGELES — Christo Jivkov, who portrayed the apostle John in the 2004 movie, “The Passion of The Christ,” died Friday. He was 48.

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Jivkov died in Los Angeles after a long battle with cancer, Deadline reported. According to the U.S. Sun, Jivkov died from lung cancer.

Jivkov was born Feb. 18, 1975 in Sofia, Bulgaria, according to the entertainment news website.

“The Passion of The Christ” was released in February and was directed by Mel Gibson. In addition to Jivkov, the movie starred Jim Caviezel and Maia Morgenstern, according to IMDb.com.

Red Carpet Films, a Bulgarian company co-founded by Jivkov, said in a statement that there were “no words to describe the pain of this loss.”

‘Today we lost our beloved friend and dear colleague Christo Jivkov, co-founder of “Red Carpet,” the statement said. “Wе are truly devastated by this untimed loss. We will never forget you!”

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