14 DAY TRIAL // The actor Eric Lawson has passed away. The official cause of death, according to wife Susan, is respiratory failure, as a result of his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from which he had been suffering for a long time.
Eric Lawson was 72 at the time of his death and appeared in a number of TV shows throughout his career. Titles such as “Baretta” and “The Streets of San Francisco” are some of the titles from his filmography.
More recently, he also starred in productions such as “Charlie's Angels,” “Dynasty” and “Baywatch.” The title of “Marlboro Man” was given to him after he appeared in several commercials for the particular brand throughout the late 70s and the early 80s.
Between 1978 and 1981 he portrayed the rough cowboy figure that is known today as “Marlboro Man.” Lawson continued his acting career in parallel until the late 90s playing various roles for television. In 1997 he retired altogether from show business after he sustained injuries while filming for a western movie.
Eric Lawson is reported to have started smoking at the tender age of 14. Even if he was aware of the devastating effects smoking causes on the body, he couldn't give up the habit. Later on his life, he starred in an anti-smoking ad campaign in which he parodied his Marlboro Man image.
“He knew the cigarettes had a hold on him. He knew, yet he still couldn't' stop,” his wife is quoted as saying. Becoming a symbol against cigarette smoking, Lawson appeared on Entertainment Tonight to discuss the ill effects of smoking addiction to the general health.
According to Aceshowbiz, Lawson passed away in his home San Luis Obispo, California and is survived by his wife Susan, 6 children, 18 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Lawson is not the first Marlboro man to die of smoking-related causes. Among them are David Millar died of emphysema in 1987 and David McLean, who died of lung cancer in 1995.