Dan Haggerty, the bearded U.S. actor who starred in the film and TV series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, has died aged 74. Haggerty was reportedly diagnosed with cancer in August. He discovered he had cancer a few months ago when he underwent surgery for back pain, according to TMZ.
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Haggerty’s manager and close friend Terry Bomar confirmed the news with multiple outlets Friday explaining how the star was battling cancer in his spine since July.
He also nearly suffered a near-fatal motorcycle accident eight years later, and later underwear 18 operations over the next four years.
While on the run, he adopts an orphaned grizzly bear and names him Ben. While Haggerty wasn’t as legendary as Bowie or prolific as Rickman, he still affected pop culture and his loss is felt by legions of fans-those who know him as Grizzly Adams. The bear becomes his constant companion as Adams travels the West, caring for wild animals he finds. The network did greenlight and air follow-ups to the show with two made-for-TV movies: A Christmas special that aired in December of ’78 and a sort of series conclusion in 1982.
Haggerty said he got the job after another actor didn’t work out.
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Haggerty also continued working on the sets of various productions and as an animal trainer on films like Grizzly Mountain (1997) and Escape to Grizzly Mountain (2000). As a Malibu, California-based stuntman and performer before the show started, he had a leopard, a cougar and a tiger on the ranch he shared with his wife and daughters.
