Sir Roger Moore, Actor Who Played James Bond, Dead At Age 89

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/CBS News) -- Sir Roger Moore, the actor best known for portraying secret agent James Bond, has died. He was 89.

Moore died Tuesday in Switzerland after "a short but brave battle with cancer," his children, Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian, said in a statement posted to Twitter.

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"Thank you Pops for being you, and for being so very special to so many people," the statement read.

As CBS2's Chris Wragge reported, Moore was the third actor to play "007." He starred in seven Bond films, starting with 1973's "Live and Let Die" and ending with 1985's "A View To Kill." In between, Moore made "The Spy Who Loved Me," "The Man with the Golden Gun" and "For Your Eyes Only," to name a few. He made replacing Sean Connery, an impossible task to some, seem seamless.

Born in October 1927, in London, England, Moore made his film debut in 1945 and appeared on Broadway and in television roles throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Although best known as Bond, fis first star turn in the U.S. was for his role as Simon Templar on "The Saint," which aired from 1962 to 1969.

He recently voiced several upcoming projects, including the children's movie "Troll Hunters."

In 1991, Moore became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and launched several initiatives to aid children and helped raise $91 million for the elimination of iodine deficiency as the honorary chair of Kiwanis International's Worldwide Service Project, CBS News reported.

The Queen of England knighted him in 2003, and he was named a Commander in France's National Order of Arts and Letters in 2008.

Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the title of Knight Commander of the British Empire to Moore for his charity work. At the time, Moore said the citation meant far more to him than any acting award he had received.

While visiting New York in 2008, Moore said it wasn't all talent that got him through.

"I think luck is the entire thing; that I've been lucky to get through a few illnesses; lucky to have survived being a hypochondriac; lucky to have finally found a wonderful wife; and lucky to be in New York today," he said at the time.

Moore is survived by his wife and children.

A private funeral will be held in Monaco.