Christopher Lee spent his final hours watching his beloved The Lord of the Rings movie

Legendary actor Christopher Lee was a fan of many things in this world with J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels famously being among his favourites, far before starring in The Lord of the Rings.

Lee iconically brought Tolkien’s Saruman, leader of the Istari, to life on the big screen in director Peter Jackson’s live-action adaptation of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

He later revisited the role in Jackson’s take on The Hobbit, and now it has been revealed that Lee loved Middle-earth so much that he spent his final hours rewatching The Lord of the Rings.

As per a new Sky documentary, The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee, the iconic star’s family members revealed how he enjoyed his final hours before passing away at 93.

Juan Aneiros, Lee’s son-in-law, shared that he decided to rewatch The Lord of the Rings as he wanted to “explain how the movie [was made]” with his nurses.

He chose to watch the movie and reminisce on being a part of arguably the most beloved live-action trilogy of all time, all in the name of spending his final hours in a happy environment.

“He loved that movie,” Aneiros said.

Although Lee impressively lived a fairly long and successful life, his son-in-law shared that he was in belief that Lee was “eternal” and would live “past 100” years old.

“I actually thought he was eternal. I thought he would go past 100, I really did think so, so it was a shock…but he just passed away… It was peaceful, he didn’t suffer, he just went to sleep.”

Lee’s impressive on-screen career spanned much further than the realm of Middle-earth, from playing Count Dooku in George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels to Sherlock Holmes and Dracula.

It’s fair to say Lee has donned more iconic characters than most in the world of show business.

Unlike his fellow Lord of the Rings cast and crew members, Lee was the only person involved in the movie trilogy to have actually met Tolkien.

Despite initially believing that he would make a pretty good Gandalf, once cast as Saruman the White, he fell right into the role with ease while realising the part worked with his acting style perfectly.

Upon finishing his part in the filming process for the Jackson-helmed trilogy, Lee shared a heartfelt speech with his Middle-earth team, sharing how he would treasure his experience above all else.