Sadly coming the same year that Dallas was celebrating a renaissance and rebirth is news that Larry Hagman, the legendary actor best known as “J.R. Ewing” on the series as well as “Major Tony Nelson” on I Dream Of Jeannie, has passed away at the age of 81. He had been recently battling cancer.
“Larry was back in his beloved Dallas re-enacting the iconic role he loved most,” his family said in a statement. “Larry’s family and close friends had joined him in Dallas for the Thanksgiving holiday. When he passed, he was surrounded by loved ones. It was a peaceful passing, just as he had wished for. The family requests privacy at this time.”
Hagman was the only actor to appear in every episode of the original Dallas series, and his absence will certainly be felt in the show’s future. Season 2 of TNT’s revived Dallas is currently in production for an early 2013 premiere. J.R. Ewing was a unique character who did dastardly things, yet the audience couldn’t help but root for him and see what he was up to next. A lot of that was due to the very capable man who played him. The famous “Who Shot J.R.” episode of Dallas is still one of the highest rated in TV history. The Sun reports that Hagman’s Dallas co-stars Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy were at his bedside.
Hagman was a true TV legend, and his large personality will be missed.
UPDATE: TNT has now released a statement about Hagman’s passing: “All of us at TNT are deeply saddened at the news of Larry Hagman’s passing. He was a wonderful human being and an extremely gifted actor. We will be forever thankful that a whole new generation of people got to know and appreciate Larry through his performance as J.R. Ewing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this very difficult time.”
