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AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File

'Dallas' star Larry Hagman dies in Texas

The actor, who played the notorious TV villain JR Ewing for more than a decade, has passed away in Texas at the age of 81.

LARRY HAGMAN, whose predatory oil baron JR Ewing on television’s long-running nighttime soap opera “Dallas” became a symbol for 1980s greed and coaxed forth a Texas-sized gusher of TV ratings, has died. He was 81.

Hagman, who returned as JR in a new edition of “Dallas” this year, passed away Friday afternoon due to complications from his battle with cancer, according to a statement from the family provided to The Associated Press by Warner Bros., producer of “Dallas.”

“Larry was back in his beloved hometown of Dallas, re-enacting the iconic role he loved the most,” the family said. “Larry’s family and closest friends had joined him in Dallas for the Thanksgiving holiday.”

Linda Gray, his on-screen wife in the original series and the sequel, was with Hagman when he died in a Dallas hospital, said her publicist, Jeffrey Lane.

“He brought joy to everyone he knew. He was creative, generous, funny, loving and talented, and I will miss him enormously. He was an original and lived life to the fullest,” Gray said in a statement.

Hagman was diagnosed in 1992 with cirrhosis of the liver and acknowledged that he had drank heavily for years. In 1995, a malignant tumor was discovered on his liver and he underwent a transplant.

This 1981 file photo provided by CBS shows Larry Hagman in character as J.R. Ewing in the television series “Dallas.” (AP Photo/CBS, file)

Years before “Dallas,” Hagman had gained TV fame as a nice guy with the fluffy 1965-70 NBC comedy “I Dream of Jeannie,” in which he played Capt. Tony Nelson, an astronaut whose life is disrupted when he finds a comely genie, portrayed by Barbara Eden, and takes her home to live with him.

He also starred in two short-lived sitcoms, “The Good Life” (NBC, 1971-72) and “Here We Go Again” (ABC, 1973). His film work included well-regarded performances in “The Group,” ”Harry and Tonto” and “Primary Colors.”

But it was Hagman’s masterful portrayal of the charmingly loathsome JR that brought him his greatest stardom. The CBS serial drama about the Ewing clan and those in their orbit aired from April 1978 to May 1991.

The “Who shot JR?” story twist, in which Hagman’s character was nearly murdered in a cliffhanger episode, fueled international speculation and millions of dollars in betting-parlour wagers. It also helped give the series a ratings record for the time.

When the answer was revealed in a November 1980 episode, an average 41 million viewers tuned in to make “Dallas” the second most-watched entertainment show of all time, trailing only the “MASH” finale in 1983 with 50 million viewers.

It was JR’s sister-in-law, Kristin (Mary Crosby) who plugged him — he had made her pregnant, then threatened to frame her as a prostitute unless she left town — but others had equal motivation.

Hagman played Ewing as a bottomless well of corruption with a charming grin: a business cheat and a faithless husband who tried to get his alcoholic wife, Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), institutionalised.

“I know what I want on JR’s tombstone,” Hagman said in 1988. “It should say: ‘Here lies upright citizen JR Ewing. This is the only deal he ever lost.’”

On Friday night, Victoria Principal, who co-starred in the original series, recalled Hagman as “bigger than life, on-screen and off. He is unforgettable, and irreplaceable, to millions of fans around the world, and in the hearts of each of us, who was lucky enough to know and love him.”

Ten episodes of the new edition of “Dallas” aired this past summer and proved a hit for TNT. Filming had been completed for five of the episodes for the second season and work on the sixth episode was in progress, the network said.

There was no immediate comment from Warner or TNT on how the series would deal with Hagman’s loss.

In 2006, Hagman did a guest shot on FX’s drama series “Nip/Tuck,” playing a macho business mogul. He also got new exposure in recent years with the DVD releases of “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Dallas.”

This 1967 file photo shows Barbara Eden, left, and Larry Hagman in a scene from the television show “I Dream of Jeannie.” (AP Photo/NBC, file)

The Fort Worth, Texas, native was the son of singer-actress Mary Martin, who starred in such classics as “South Pacific” and “Peter Pan.” Martin was still in her teens when he was born in 1931 during her marriage to attorney Ben Hagman.

As a youngster, Hagman gained a reputation for mischief-making as he was bumped from one private school to another. He made a stab at New York theater in the early 1950s, then served in the Air Force from 1952-56 in England.

While there, he met and married young Swedish designer Maj Axelsson. The couple had two children, Preston and Heidi, and were longtime residents of the Malibu beach colony that is home to many celebrities.

Hagman returned to acting and found work in the theater and in such TV series as “The U.S. Steel Hour,” ”The Defenders” and “Sea Hunt.” His first continuing role was as lawyer Ed Gibson on the daytime serial “The Edge of Night” (1961-63).

He called his 2001 memoir “Hello Darlin’: Tall (and Absolutely True) Tales about My Life.”

“I didn’t put anything in that I thought was going to hurt someone or compromise them in any way,” he told The Associated Press at the time.

After his transplant, he became an advocate for organ donation and volunteered at a hospital to help frightened patients.

“I counsel, encourage, meet them when they come in for their operations, and after,” he said in 1996. “I try to offer some solace, like ‘Don’t be afraid, it will be a little uncomfortable for a brief time, but you’ll be OK.’ ”

He also was an anti-smoking activist who took part in “Great American Smoke-Out” campaigns.

Read: Did you see Dallas last night? Here’s how it went down…

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55 Comments
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    Mute Johnny Wilson
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:07 PM

    Won’t be long before the anti vax lot crawl out of their rabbit holes

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    Mute Anthony Curran
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:19 PM

    @Johnny Wilson: They’re too busy being anti immigrant these days

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    Mute Seosamh Ohuaine
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:53 PM

    @Johnny Wilson: Whats the big deal with measles. Sure we all got it in the 80s and were then immune for life.

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    Mute Jason Poole
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:54 PM

    @Anthony Curran: Comment of the year

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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:13 PM

    @Anthony Curran: like most viruses the do tend to spread without a prevention.

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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:16 PM

    @Seosamh Ohuaine: Wow, if we had a vaccine for your obvious lack of knowledge….can’t use the word I wanted

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    Mute Trevor Donoghue
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:16 PM

    @Seosamh Ohuaine: Yes, because it was much safer to get it as a child and gives you immunity, catching it as an adult is far more dangerous.

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    Mute Éamonn O'Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:44 PM

    @Seosamh Ohuaine: it also killls and can lead to long term disability.

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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:57 PM

    @Éamonn O’Kane: Correct,

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    Mute offside again
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:48 PM

    @Paul O’Mahoney: apropos de rien : all good things come to an end. The world will keep spinning around. So will the galaxy. The Universe will find conciousness somewhere.
    You know that we die in the end !
    (sorry to ruin the film).
    It’s eternal life we’re looking for and indeed such a thing is possible if you’re spiritually inclined.
    In anycase ; there’s such a wide range of possibilties that I don’t understand how anyone can be an athiest.

    1
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    Mute Pat Redmond
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    Apr 3rd 2025, 1:09 PM

    @Seosamh Ohuaine: and children born blind as a result. Special schools for the blind no longer exist thanks to the vaccination

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    Mute Frank Foley
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:01 PM

    The 5pm train to Sligo from Dublin is always very busy ,not enough carriages and it’s impossible to get a seat until you get to Mullingar.

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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:03 PM

    And what about the train from Sligo to Dublin?

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    Mute AphroBeat
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:39 PM

    Time to lockdown again, zero measles! Let’s flatten the curve

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    Mute Donna Fallon
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:28 PM

    @AphroBeat: Everything on this forum is so negative. Let’s flatten the curve… X amounts of deaths today from (not with apparently). I for one know people who died as a result of the lockdowns and literally nothing to do with a virus.

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    Mute AphroBeat
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 9:16 PM

    @Donna Fallon: It was certainly a terrible time for many, Donna, my sincere condolences. Sadly, I knew people who took their own lives who struggled with loneliness. I, too, found it challenging being myself, but I found resilience from past traumatic experiences. Thankfully, many are vaccinated for MMR here, so it may not warrant a lockdown.

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    Mute Donna Fallon
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    Apr 3rd 2025, 1:00 AM

    @AphroBeat: Thanks Man and sorry to hear you too had a tough time x I genuinely thought that you were being sarcastic in your initial comment… hope you are well now x

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    Mute Johnny King
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:18 PM

    Anyone who was on the train was also possibly exposed to the flu,covid,chicken pox,vomiting bug,farts,burps,general body odour etc. etc. Welcome to life.Stay home for the rest of your life If it upsets you.
    This is not news.
    Either you’ve been vaccinated against it and you’re fine because unlike the covid injections the measles one is actually a proper vaccine that makes you immune.Or you haven’t been vaccinated so you don’t care in the first place.So again,this is not news.

    26
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    Mute Paul O'Mahoney
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:59 PM

    @Johnny King: So are vaccines good or bad?

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    Mute Luas Vuitton - Penneys Drag Queen
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:01 PM

    @Johnny King: Disability payment late again? Measles, like Covid-19, is a notifiable infectious disease under the Health Acts and MOH legislation. Both have effective clinical responses. Your comments on vaccines insults the memory of C19 bereavement. If it had been available, some who be still with us.

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    Mute Johnny King
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 9:14 PM

    @Paul O’Mahoney: almost all of them are amazing,life savers.The covid one technically doesn’t even qualify as a vaccine.Doesn’t make you immune,doesn’t stop you spreading it,At best they say it can very slightly help your recovery chances when you get covid.I would argue that this slight help they say it gives your immune system was offset ten fold by the false sense of security people thought they had after being told they wouldn’t get covid after getting the jabs,and so went about their business falsely believing that the covid jab was like a regular,effective vaccine that makes you immune

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    Mute Johnny King
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 9:28 PM

    @Luas Vuitton – Penneys Drag Queen: I’ve had one m.m.r. vaccine and I have never had measles as a result.I have had 3 covid injections and I’ve had covid 4 times that I’m aware of.Probably have had it ten more times than I’m unaware of since more than 95% of people that get it don’t have any symptoms whatsoever.This was proven by the mass testing that was done in China.If we had done mass testing here we would have realised this.
    So the point is I got the MMR vaccine.That PREVENTS you from getting measles,mumps and Rubella.I have had THREE Covid so called vaccines and have had covid probably between 10 and 15 times.Can you understand the difference there? One works.The other doesn’t.

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    Mute Richie Whelan
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 9:25 PM

    We all got measels as kids ,how is it so dangerous all of a sudden

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    Mute John Doe
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 11:39 PM

    @Richie Whelan: PARENTS NOT VACCINATING THEIR KIDS! How do ye not understand this yet?!

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    Mute Green Masquerader
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    Apr 3rd 2025, 2:01 PM

    @John Doe: but but..let them decide themselves!
    No damn parents anymore they are all wannabe social workers now.

    I wanna run in trafffic
    Ok honey I am empowering you to make a good choice.
    Death

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    Mute Dave Grant
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:59 PM

    No one is safe until everyone is safe.

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    Mute Seanfhear míshásta
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:52 PM

    an American?

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    Mute bruce banner
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 10:20 PM

    Hope the EU hurries up and suspends travel of americans into europe. Keeps us all more healthy physically and mentally.

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    Mute Luas Vuitton - Penneys Drag Queen
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:57 PM

    Great to see Iarnród Eireann improving the quality of catering on the Sligo train, finally.

    5
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    Mute Ian Heaton
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:44 PM

    Need to start doing some spot checks.

    5
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    Mute Green Masquerader
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    Apr 3rd 2025, 2:03 PM

    @Ian Heaton:its the mumps next
    Probably the foreigners kissing

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    Mute Sickof thisshit
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:13 PM

    Ah here..
    That’s ridiculous…

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    Mute Fergus O'Donnell
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 9:21 PM

    Punam Rane was completely right.

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    Mute Green Masquerader
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    Apr 3rd 2025, 2:02 PM

    @Fergus O’Donnell: i though that was commen knowledge like!.

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    Mute Padraig O'Brien
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    Apr 3rd 2025, 11:49 AM

    All together now
    “We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out and the ship lost its way in a fog……..

    2
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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:57 PM

    One, could conclude that, there is a memorandum of Understanding, between all sides, Officially!

    1
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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 6:30 PM

    One, is ready for such outcome, there should not be any issues

    1
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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:36 PM

    Still watching, decent game, 1 up for Home team

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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:58 PM

    One, is watching live !

    1
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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 8:01 PM

    Still watching, live score o

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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:07 PM

    One, is aware of kick off, original colours as agreed, ” You & me ” !

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    Mute Rolf Kane
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    Apr 2nd 2025, 7:49 PM

    One, is live watching!

    1
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