Lyle Waggoner, the actor known for his roles in hit TV shows such as Gunsmoke, Wonder Woman, and The Carol Burnett Show, has died at the age of 84.
Sources close to Waggoner’s family told TMZ that he “died peacefully at his home” in Westlake, California, on Tuesday morning (March 17), surrounded by members of his family.
The statement added that he died after battling an illness. Waggoner’s son, Jason, also confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that his father died after a long illness.
Waggoner’s cause of death was cancer
Variety reported that a statement by Waggoner’s family revealed that the cause of death was cancer.
According to Variety, the statement released by the family said that Waggoner was a “loving husband, father, grandfather, entrepreneur, and actor passed away peacefully at home on March 17th at the age of 84 with his wife at his side. The cause of death was cancer.”
Lyle Waggoner bio
Lyle Waggoner, a native of Kansas, was born in April 1935. He attended Kirkwood High School in Missouri where he competed in wrestling and high jumping, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
He enrolled at Washington University in St. Louis but left before completing his studies to join the U.S. Army where he worked as a radio operator.
After serving in the Army, he worked as a salesman for some time before he decided to start a career as an actor.
His first major role was as Aikens in a 1966 episode of the popular CBS Western drama series Gunsmoke.
He auditioned for the role of Batman on the 20th Century Fox Television/ABC TV series of the same name but Adam West was selected for the role.
He later appeared in multiple roles on CBS’s sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show, from 1967 to 1974.
He co-starred with Lynda Carter as Major Steve Trevor on the TV series Wonder Woman from 1975 to 1979. Lynda Carter played Diana Prince/Wonder Woman.
He appeared in several other popular TV shows, including The Love Boat, Charlie’s Angels, Mork & Mindy, Fantasy Island, and Happy Days.
He also appeared in movies such as Murder Weapon, Dead Women in Lingerie, and Wizards of the Demon Sword.
He was widely regarded as a Hollywood hunk and a heartthrob, standing at nearly six-feet-four-inches. He was the first male to appear seminude in Playgirl’s centerfold in 1973.
He founded the business Star Waggons that provided trailer services for Hollywood TV and movie productions.
He married Sharon Kennedy in 1961 and they had two children, Jason and Beau.
He is survived by Sharon, his two sons, Jason and Beau, and four grandchildren, according to Variety.
The news of Lyle Waggoner’s death due to cancer comes after Monsters and Critics reported that the TV personality James Lipton died in New York City earlier in the month at the age of 93, after battling bladder cancer.
Actress Ja’Net DuBois died last month at the age of 74 after suffering a cardiac arrest.