Longtime film and TV publicist Bill Vigars has died at age 78.

Vigars (pictured, right) died Oct. 10 at Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock, B.C. following a diagnosis of congestive heart failure that began with a heart attack in June, his daughter Kerry Anne Holloway tells Playback Daily.

He worked as a publicist on many films and series, such as Stargate SG-1, Corner Gas and Cold Squad, but the work most dear to him was leading the promotion of the 1980 Marathon of Hope for Terry Fox, says Holloway.

“That really did become his life’s work, to carry Terry’s memory forward and to help continue raising money for the Terry Fox Foundation,” she says. “Beyond that, he also had so much love for his his family and his friends. The loss is going to be devastating, and I think it’s going to be felt by many.”

Vigars published a book last August with Ian Harvey, titled Terry & Me: The Inside Story of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope, about Fox’s historic journey from his own perspective.

Vigars was also the former director of public relations and fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Aside from his more than 40 years as a publicist, he appeared uncredited in 25 episodes of the CBS series Night Heat. His role in Terry Fox’s marathon was portrayed by Robert Duvall in 1981’s The Terry Fox Story and by Matt Godon in CTV’s Terry in 2005.

“He was always interested in new and young talent and was a huge cheerleader of anything homegrown, anything Vancouver, anything Canada,” says writer-director Richard Bell, who had hired Vigars as a unit publicist on his film Eighteen. “He had a huge heart and complimented people generously.”

Image courtesy of Biserka Livaja