Ward, who was part of the music and arts scene in Tulsa for years, embraced acting, and his credits include the Jeremy Charles short “Tatsu (Redbird),” the John Swab films “Body Brokers” and “Ida Red,” plus the upcoming Swab films “Little Dixie” and “Candy Land.”

Larry Shaeffer of Little Wing Productions described Ward as a longtime friend who was extremely loyal.

“Mark was more of a part of the arts in the community than I realized once I thought about it,” Shaeffer said. “He was kind of everywhere.”

An idaredfilm Instagram post described Ward as a dear friend, animal lover (father to Laraina the German shepherd and Georgia the opossum), U.S. Navy veteran, rock & roll roadie, T-Town legend and Roxwell Films cast favorite. The post said he died at his home on the first day of filming for “One Day As A Lion.”

Said the post: “After a heartfelt hug during our production meeting just a day before his passing, Mark remarked to Jeremy Rosen ‘You saved my life’ (referring to our films together). Well, we are humbled that Mark’s legacy will beautifully live on through our favorite characters. Long live Magic Mark.”