Pernell Roberts, Last Surviving Member of Bonanza Dead at 81

  Pernell Roberts, last surviving member of the famed Bonanza cast, died from cancer in his Malibu home on January 24, 2010 at the age of 81

  Roberts, who was known as Adam on the long lasting TV series, Bonanza, outlived all the other three members of the cast and was also in another series, “Trapper John, M.D.”  Roberts was born in Waycross, Georgia in 1928.  He has been known to say that, “I distinguished myself by flunking out of college three times.”  He was also a tombstone maker, and a railroad riveter, before he decided to become an actor. 

  Pernell Roberts always felt limited in his character, Adam Cartright, on Bonanza.  The studio had promised him that his scripts would be carefully prepared but he said, “None of it ever happened”.  He left Bonanza in 1965, not liking the idea of three brothers always having to get their father’s permission for everything they did.  He also accepted roles in The Virginian, Hawaii Five O, Mission Impossible, Marcus Welby, Banacek, Ironside and Mannix before landing the lead role in Trapper John, M.D.

                               Pernell Roberts as Trapper John, M.D. 

  Roberts very well could have been a Shakespearean actor.  (Lorne Green as well.)  Roberts had a deep, clear voice and had command of the English language, displaying perfect enunciation that was non-accented.  He also possessed a very fine singing voice.  When he left Bonanza “the general feeling was that he foolishly doomed his career and turned his back on a fortune of Bonanza earnings.”  This could have very well been so, but hindsight is always 20-20.  I feel he was drop-dead gorgeous and will be sadly missed by the community of movie makers, stars, and fans, world-wide.

  The beloved “Hoss”, Dan Blocker died from a pulmonary embolism at the young age of 44 on May 13, 1972  He was the first of the four to die while Bonanza was in its 14 th season.  They say his demise was astonishing to co-stars and fans alike and said to be caused by a doctor’s error.  Blocker was scheduled to have gall bladder surgery and expired on the operating table.

  Lorne Green was next, and he died on September 11, 1987 from pneumonia.  Greene had suffered from heart disease and underwent surgery but died a few days later at the age of 72

  Michael Landon, “Little Joe” went on to other very successful careers, starting with Little House On The Prairie and then finishing with Highway To Heaven, alongside his beloved friend and co-star, Victor French, also deceased.  Landon died from terminal cancer of the pancreas after only being diagnosed with it three months prior.  He was 55 years old.  (Those of you who could notice, would have seen that he had been sick for quite some time, it showed in his eyes no matter how he may have tried to disguise it.) 

  All four of these wonderful men were monumental in the times they were in and had an audience that transcended the American States.  They are now recognized world-wide, sadly missed, but immortalized and forever etched in our memories simply with the quick flick of the remote!  I think I can safely say these four were the epitome of what true gentlemen were!

  *images by bing.com