Evil Dead II Star Danny Hicks Announces Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis

Evil Dead II star Danny Hicks, a frequent collaborator of director Sam Raimi, announced he has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and has approximately one to three years to live. In his first major movie role, Hicks played gas station owner Jake, one of the "Hellbillies" and Bobby Joe's (Kassie Wesley) boyfriend who is dragged into a cellar head first and gruesomely devoured by the undead Henrietta (Lou Hancock). The 1987 horror comedy, followup to Raimi's 1981 career-launching horror The Evil Dead, once again pit Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) against horrific demons while vacationing with girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) in a secluded cabin in the woods.

"To all of the people that I never got to meet, and the 6,018 die hard fans that enjoyed my work. I have some bad news," Hicks wrote on his Facebook page Friday. "I have been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. I have approximately 1 to 3 years to live. But I gotta tell ya, I sure as hell packed a whole bunch of living into my 68 years. I got no change coming back that's for sure. And not too many regrets. Ok, gotta go. I'm gunna find out just what in the hell is going on down in that fruit cellar."

Hicks, who also appeared in such horror films as Maniac Cop and Intruder, played Joe in 1989 action-comedy Easy Wheels, penned by Raimi and brother Ivan Raimi and produced by Campbell. Hicks appeared opposite Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand in Raimi's first superhero movie, 1990's Darkman, playing Skip Altwater, a one-legged henchman working under mob boss Robert Durant (Larry Drake).

The actor also portrayed one of the train passengers who witnesses Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) battle the metal-armed Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) in 2004's Spider-Man 2, sequel to Raimi's 2002 blockbuster Spider-Man.

Hicks teamed with Campbell again in 2007 comedy-horror My Name Is Bruce, directed by and starring Campbell, in the role of Dirt Farmer. Hicks would join Raimi again in 2013's Oz the Great and Powerful, a big-budget Disney movie led by Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy star James Franco. Hicks played an unnamed citizen of the Emerald City.

He most recently played Dick in small-budget vampire horror movie The Blood Hunter, described as "a feature film about a broken man who has lost his purpose and faith and finds it again when he joins a group of Vampire Killers called 'The Blood Hunters.'"

Photo credit: Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images