14 DAY TRIAL // The television industry and fans worldwide are in mourning today: Larry Hagman, who played J.R. Ewing in the original “Dallas” series, has died on Friday morning, a rep for the family confirms for the press, as cited by Reuters.
The actor had long been battling cancer and cirrhosis, but it was complications from throat cancer that caused his demise, the publicist says.
He was 81 years old and will for ever go down in history as one of the best and most popular villains ever to grace the small screen.
In 1990s, after decades of drinking, Hagman announced he’d been diagnosed with liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver, the report says.
In late 2011, he again shocked fans by announcing he’d been “caught up by cancer,” but he would not say which type it was.
Only a few months later, the actor proudly announced that he was getting better and that he was determined to whip the terrible disease into submission.
A clear indication of that was his guest role on the new “Dallas” series, together with former co-stars and good friends Patrick Duffy and Linda Grey, who also reprised their legendary roles from the old series.
Hagman’s J.R. Ewing will remain one of the most conniving villains in television history, just as “Dallas” is, to this day, among the most popular series ever aired.
Always the eccentric, the actor once said in an interview that he wanted his body to be cremated after death, and the ashes “spread over a field and have marijuana and wheat planted and harvest it in a couple of years and then have a big marijuana cake, enough for 200 to 300 people. People would eat a little of Larry.”
The family is yet to announce a date for the funeral.
He will be missed.