‘Grizzly Adams’ Star Dan Haggerty Dies At 74

Former “Grizzly Adams” star Dan Haggerty has died, Access
Hollywood has confirmed.

Haggerty, who starred as the beloved title character in the 1977
TV hit “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams,” was 74.

The actor died early Friday morning at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in
Burbank, Calif., following a battle with cancer over the past few months, his
manager Terry Bomar exclusively told Access.

Grizzly-Adams-Star-Dan-Haggerty-Dies-At-74
(Getty Images)

Haggerty was diagnosed with cancer after undergoing back surgery,
when a tumor on his spine was discovered.

“We found out earlier this month that [the cancer] had taken
over,” Bomar told Access of Haggerty’s worsening condition, noting that
the actor had undergone extensive chemotherapy. “He had a great
Thanksgiving and Christmas with his family. Then he just took a turn for the
worse.”

Bomar, who was planning on flying out to Los Angeles on Sunday to
see Haggerty, said he is thankful he had one last phone conversation with his
longtime friend.

“They put him on speaker phone for me. The last thing I heard
him say was, ‘I love you,'” Bomar told Access.

In addition to his iconic role as “Grizzly Adams,”
Haggerty had dozens of acting credits to his name, including roles on
“CHiPs,” “Charlie’s Angels” and “The Love Boat,” as
well as TV movie follow-ups “The Capture of Grizzly Adams”
(1982)  and “Escape To Grizzly
Mountain” (2000).

For nostalgic fans of the show, who often wonder what happened to the Kodiac bear “Ben” that played Haggerty’s co-star on the much-loved show: according to a past report in the LA Times, the bear died at the Folsom Children’s Zoo in Lincoln, Nebraska in January 1990. The bear died in his sleep during hibernation, according to the director of the zoo with the cause of death being attributed to chronic heart disease. At only 15 years old, “Ben” was considered “middle-age” at the time of his reported death, and had been the star attraction at the zoo since arriving there in October 1979, and lived at the zoo for 10 years until his passing.

— Eric Anderson

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