Canadian actor Jonathan Crombie died on Wednesday night in New York after suffering a brain hemorrhage . He was 48 ears old . Anne of Green Gables actor Jonathan Crombie died of a brain hemorrhage , aged 48 . The actor is best known for his role as Gilbert Blythe in the Canadian television drama film Anne of Green Gables and two sequels . Toronto-born Crombie died on Wednesday in New York , his sister Carrie Crombie told CBC on Saturday . 'He was funny , he was sweet , he loved acting , he loved comedy and singing and dancing . As a little kid , he just loved Broadway shows and all of that kind of stuff and would sing and dance in the living room , ' Carrie Crombie said . She said that her brother was always proud of playing Gilbert , the school rival , boyfriend and eventual husband of the leading heroine in Anne of Green Gables . He really enjoyed the series , she said , adding that he was 'very proud of it ' . Crombie , who was the son for former Toronto mayor and Canadian Cabinet minister David Crombie , was never screen-tested for the show . He was discovered at 17 when he was performing in a high-school production of The Wizard of Oz , according to E ! . 'We met him and he was cast . It was a perfect storm . ... It just all worked perfectly , ' Green Gables producer Kevin Sullivan told CBC . He continued : ' I think for legions of young women around the world who fell in love with the Anne of Green Gables films , Jonathan literally represented the quintessential boy next door . Crombie was best known for his role as GilbertBlythe in the Canadian television drama film Anne of Green Gables and two sequels . He was discovered as an actor when he was 17 years old in a high-school production of The Wizard of Oz . He was given the role of Gilbert - who was the school rival , boyfriend and eventual husband of Green Gables ' leading heroine - without being screen-tested for the role . ' I think there will be hundreds of people who will be floored that this has happened . It 's such a devastating tragedy . 'In reality , Jonathan was as generous , as kind , as sensitive and as ambitious , in some ways , as the character he came to be identified with . ' Carrie Crombie said that her brother 's proudest moment , however , was what came after Green Gables . ' [ But ] I think his proudest part was when he played the lead in The Drowsy Chaperone on Broadway . That was just an amazing thing for him to be able to do , ' she said . Crombie 's organs were donated , and his family plans to take his ashed back to Toronto by bus , because that 's how the actor liked to travel . 'We felt that it was an ode to Jonathan . He would never go on a plane , so we 're going to make the trek from New York to Toronto on a bus with his ashes , ' Carrie Crombie told CBC . Crombie , pictured here at seven years old , was the son of former Toronto Mayor and Canadian Cabinet minister David Crombie ( right ) After Anne of Green Gables , Crombie went on to star in a Broadway production of The Drowsy Chaperone .
Jonathan Crombie died of a brain hemorrhage on Wednesday in Toronto . He played Gilbert Blythe in the Anne of Green Gables films . The New York actor went on to star in The Drowsy Chaperone on Broadway .