Melanie Lynskey pens down tribute for ‘fast friend’ Julian Sands

Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey has shared a heartfelt tribute to the late Julian Sands, who was found dead in Mount Baldy earlier this week after going missing in January.

On Wednesday (28 June), the 46-year-old actor posted a lengthy tribute to Sands on Instagram.

“Julian Sands. I met you on the set of Rose Red in 2000,” she wrote in her post. “A Room With A View was a movie I had seen dozens of times, and I adored you in it. I was so nervous I could barely speak to you.

“When I did finally tell you what the movie/you meant to me, I was struck by your humility, your lack of ego, the absence of any grandstanding.”

Lynskey continued by describing how she and Sands became “fast friends”.

“You bought me so many presents, mostly huge and intimidating non-fiction books and classical music CDs,” she wrote. “ You found out I’d never been to the opera, and so you came to my apartment one night and picked me up, took me out for champagne, and took me to the opera.

“You giggled when I yawned.”

The Ted Lasso star ended her post by writing: “We lost touch, but I have never forgotten your kindness and I will never forget you. My heart goes out to your family and loved ones.”

Sands, 65, went missing on 13 January, after failing to return from a hike in the Mount Baldy area. Soon after that, an extensive search was launched to find the experienced hiker, but it was met with poor weather conditions that lasted for months.

Since the news broke, many celebrities and fans have paid tribute to the critically acclaimed actor.

A close friend and colleague of Sands, Mike Figgis, also said that the A Room With A View star was a charismatic actor who was “genuinely fearless”.

“Julian was conscious of the power of his charisma and his looks, in an impish, devilish kind of way,” Figgis told The Guardian. “And perhaps because he was so handsome, he was very secure in himself.”