Actor Michael Clarke Duncan, best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in the 1999 drama The Green Mile has died aged 54, less than eight weeks after suffering a heart attack.

Final details on the cause of his death are not yet known but his fiancé Omarosa Manigault released a statement saying he never fully recovered from his heart attack which he had on July 13.

Tom Hanks who shared the screen with Michael in The Green Mile, paid tribute to his 6ft 5in co-star.

Hanks said: "I am terribly saddened at the loss of Big Mike. He was the treasure we all discovered on the set of The Green Mile. He was magic. He was a big love of man and his passing leaves us stunned."