He'd been suffering from prostate cancer

Dennis Hopper has died from complications of prostate cancer, a friend tells Reuters. The 74-year-old, who made his name by starring in and directing the 1969 cult hit Easy Rider, died this morning at his home in Venice, California. Other memorable roles included those in Rebel Without a Cause, Blue Velvet, Apocalypse Now, and Hoosiers. As his illness progressed, Hopper had unfortunately become embroiled in a nasty divorce fight that pitted his daughter against his wife.

A sampling of lines from the obituaries of Dennis Hopper, who died today at age 74.

• Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today: "As buckskin-draped Billy and star-spangled Wyatt, he and Peter Fonda became hippie-era icons as stoner cowboys in search of America atop heavy-metal steeds in 1969's Easy Rider."
• Kiran Aditham, MediaBistro: Yeah, he personified the 1960s counterculture in Easy Rider and "creeped us the hell out" in Blue Velvet, but don't forget he provided "one of the best monologues in film history in True Romance." (Click through for the link.)

• Edward Pyatt, New York Times: His "portrayals of drug-addled, often deranged misfits in the landmark films Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now, and Blue Velvet drew on his early out-of-control experiences as part of a new generation of Hollywood rebel."
• Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor film critic (as quoted in the Los Angeles Times): "Dennis Hopper was part of that sort of misfit, rebel-persona generation where you just didn't hit your mark and say your lines and try to create a movie icon type of presence. He was much more rough-hewn, rough-edged and intuitive as an actor, and this created a lot of problems early on."