Ron Dean, known for his roles in Risky Business and The Breakfast Club, has died. He was 87 years old.
Dean's partner Maggie Neff confirmed the news to Variety on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
"Ron and I were/are kindred spirits," Neff shared with PEOPLE exclusively.
"Our connection was instantaneous and remained so for nearly four decades. The love between us was unconditional and permanent," Neff told PEOPLE. "We locked horns many times over the years, but there was never any question that we would be there for each other in our hour of need. And we always were."
Dean's partner said that he died "after his beloved sisters had said their goodbyes," per Variety.
"He hung on like a warrior to say goodbye to his little sisters. Then we were alone, and in my arms, I held his hand, and he trusted me when I told him that it was alright to let go. What an honor!" Neff told the outlet.
The actor's cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
Dean reportedly died on Sunday, Oct. 5, director Andrew Davis, who worked with Dean on 1993's The Fugitive, as well as several other films, told Deadline.
"Ron Dean was my dear friend and a tremendous actor. He was the essence of what Chicago talent represented," Davis said in a statement to the outlet. "Having a very troubled youth Ron turned his life around to have a wonderful career as a loving, decent human being and respected talent."
Davis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE.
Dean's decades-long acting career began in the 1970s, and in 1983, he appeared as a detective in Risky Business, Tom Cruise's breakout film.
From there, the DeKalb School of the Arts scholar reunited with Cruise in 1986 for The Color of Money, and again two years later for 1988's Cocktail, in which Dean played Cruise's uncle.
Additional credits include The Package with Tommy Lee Jones and the late Gene Hackman, and working alongside William Shatner in the drama series T.J. Hooker. Dean also had a role in John Hughes' The Breakfast Club, portraying the father of Andy (Emilio Estevez), and appeared in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.
He also appeared in The West Wing, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Cold Case, Six Feet Under, Numbers, Without a Trace and Family Law.
Dean had a recurring role on Chicago Fire as James Whoritsky, Commanding Chief Fire Marshal of the CFD's Office of Fire Investigations, and appeared in a 2016 episode of Chicago P.D. -- marking his final onscreen credit.
Dean was remembered as a "tough-as-nails character actor" who carried the heart of his hometown in all of his roles, playing "cops, detectives, and blue-collar Chicagoans, a niche that made him the go-to for casting directors whenever a production called for the real deal," according to a Reel Chicago obituary.