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Larry Hagman's J.R Ewing to have Dallas send-off

Dec 12, 2012, 9:07 GMT

Larry Hagman

Larry Hagman's 'Dallas' character will have a funeral on the show.

The actor played villainous oil baron J.R. Ewing in the TV series and TNT network have revealed they are to hold a memorial service for Larry's iconic character at some point within the next 15-episode series next month following Larry's passing in November.

The veteran actor kept working until right before his death and while he will appear in several new episodes, Erin Felentzer, spokeswoman for TNT, isn't revealing how J.R will be killed off in the programme.

Larry died over Thanksgiving weekend in Medical City Dallas Hospital, Dallas, at the age of 81 surrounded by his loved ones after an ongoing battle with throat cancer.

Larry's family said in a statement: 'Larry was back in his beloved 'Dallas', re-enacting the iconic role he loved most. 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.'

Thousands of fans attended an informal memorial earlier this month on the grounds of Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas, where the TV show is filmed earlier this month and tours were made free in honour of the late star.

Larry's friend and co-star Linda Gray - who plays Sue Ellen Ewing - recently revealed he knew he wouldn't survive until Christmas, sharing on 'Entertainment Tonight': 'He said, 'I've got two weeks to live!' We went, 'What are you talking about? Come on, we've got a scene on Monday ... you're not going anywhere.' That was the last time we saw him.'