Larry Hagman Dies at 81 from Cancer Complications

Beloved actor, Larry Hagman, who delighted television audiences for years with his portrayal of Major Anthony Nelson and J.R. Ewing, died Friday afternoon, November 23, 2012. He was 81 years old.

A statement from the Hagman family revealed that the cause of death was complications stemming from his recent battle with cancer. “Larry was back in his beloved Dallas, re-enacting the iconic role he loved most,” the statement said. “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.”

Fans of the original Dallas were thrilled when Larry Hagman reprised his role as the ruthless rogue that everyone loved to hate, J.R. Ewing, in TNT’s current version of Dallas, with original castmates, Linda Gray as his long-suffering ex-wife,Sue Ellen Ewing, and Patrick Duffy, as his brother, Bobby. The new show picked up with the children of the original characters continuing the family feud and Hagman appeared in fine form in several episodes of the first season. Hagman also made appearances promoting the new version. He showed off his J.R. watch on the Jimmy Fallon show this past June.

A statement from TNT said: “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.”

The actor was the first-born of famous actress Mary Martin from her marriage to Benjamin Jack Hagman. The couple divorced in 1936, 5 years after Hagman’s birth in Fort Worth, TX. After college, Hagman decided to pursue a career in acting that was interrupted by a tour of duty with the U.S. Air Force. He met his Swedish wife, Maj Axelsson, while stationed in England.

Hagman first became a favorite TV character in the 1965 sit-com, I Dream of Jeannie, in which he played astronaut Anthony Nelson, who discovers a bottle that contains a genie (played by Barbara Eden), who calls him Master as soon as she gets out of the bottle and for the next 5 years. But the night-time soap, Dallas, would bring him an entirely diffferent kind of fame, by far eclipsing his earlier popularity, particularly when his character was shot in a season cliffhanger. The resolution of “Who Shot J.R.” was revealed in the Nov. 21, 1980 episode, which is still the second-highest-rated TV show in history.

Hagman announced his cancer diagnosis last October but said, at the time, that it was a very common and treatable form of cancer. He is survived by his wife, Maj, daughter, Kristina Hagman, and his son, Preston Hagman, and 5 granddaughters.