David Huddleston -- the actor who played "The Big Lebowski" -- died Tuesday of kidney and lung disease ... according to his wife.

He died on Tuesday at his home in Sante Fe.

Huddleston is most famous for playing the title role in the 1998 Coen Brothers cult classic, alongside Jeff Bridges. He was a popular character actor in TV and movies for 50 years and has a ton of credits to his name. He also played Ben Franklin in the Broadway play "1776."

The L.A. Times first reported his death.