I was truly saddened this morning - Saturday, November 24, 2012 - when I learned of the death of the magnificent Larry Hagman. 
His family says the actor, who is famous for playing the cunning oil baron, J.R. Ewing on the CBS megahit, Dallas and astronaut, Major Tony Nelson in the NBC comedy hit, I Dream Of Jeannie
died Friday afternoon, November 23, 2012 due to complications from cancer. He was 81.
It was July 12, 2002 when I had the great pleasure of spending several hours with Larry as he was my first guest on my nationally syndicated radio program, Gary B. Duglin Talks With The Stars (July 2002 - September 2009). Of my 202 hour-long episodes, I couldn't have asked for a better star to launch my series. Larry and I enjoyed each other's company for more than four hours that summer afternoon and he was an absolute joy. He was extremely kind to me and very generous with his time. If I may say so myself, Larry was wonderfully complimentary to me after I introduced him to the listening audience. "That's the best introduction I ever had in my life," Larry graciously told me with a huge, gleaming smile. We truly had a blast hanging out together; just a whole lot of fun; and I will forever be grateful to him.
J.R. Ewing was the scheming Texas oil tycoon in Dallas from 1978 to 1991. Although the Dallas series was a genius creation of veteran writer/producer David Jacobs, Larry Hagman masterfully developed the role of J.R. Ewing; and with his sparkling grin and his devilish laugh, J.R. was the most charming, yet treacherous villain ever to appear on screen. In my 2002 interview, Larry said of his "delicious part," that he "couldn't wait to go to work everyday." He spoke of his cast mates as "friends" saying "there wasn't one single person that was delinquent in being kind and good to each other."
Of course we remember the March 21, 1980 cliffhanger episode when J.R. Ewing is shot that catapulted Dallas in to the megahit status and "shot" (no pun intended) Larry Hagman to super stardom. More than 350 million viewers from all around the world tuned in on November 21, 1980 to find out "Who Shot J.R.?" and to discover that Kristin Shepherd (Sue Ellen's sister), played by Mary Crosby, had pulled the trigger. 
The "Who Shot J.R.?" episode remains one of the most watched entertainment programs in television history with 41 million viewers in the United States alone; trailing behind only the M*A*S*H series finale in 1983, which had 50 million viewers.
During my interview with Larry Hagman, I asked if there was one particular Dallas episode that was his favorite. "There were many," he told me, but one of his favorites was "when I picked up my child (John Ross Ewing) for the first time. It had a very tender moment and I remember trying to make that where I showed humanity to J.R. I really liked that," he said.
I am a huge fan of Larry's, of the original Dallas television series and the new Dallas 
series that premiered in June 2012. Wearing his trademark cowboy hat, Larry's portrayal of the delightfully evil J.R. Ewing was beyond brilliant; and I was glued to the television set for every episode of 13 years and was thrilled to no end when the new Dallas aired this past summer. It lives up to its predecessor and Larry will be sorely missed when the revival series returns in January 2013.
When the original Dallas would air, I would watch the show in my home; and during the commercial breaks, my mom, at her home, and I would call each other on the telephone and talk about what J.R., Bobby, Sue Ellen, Pam, Cliff, Jock, Miss Ellie and the rest of the Dallas clan would do next at Ewing Oil and at Southfork. We did the same thing over the summer during episodes of the new Dallas. Unfortunately, Larry's battle with cancer ended Friday afternoon when he passed away at a Dallas, Texas hospital - reportedly with his Dallas co-stars Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing) and Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing) at his side.
According to a statement posted Saturday morning on Larry's official web site, "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."
In July 1995, after a malignant tumor was discovered, Larry received a liver transplant. It was thought that he beat cancer. However, in October 2011, Larry revealed that he had been once again diagnosed with "a very common and treatable form" of the disease. He said last year, "As J.R., I could get away with anything - bribery, blackmail and adultery. (But as Larry), I got caught by cancer."
Larry said he would be "receiving treatment while working on the new Dallas series. I could not think of a better place to be than working on a show I love, with people I love. Besides, as we all know, you can't keep J.R. down!"
Larry filmed 10 episodes of the new Dallas for last summer and had already shot 6 of the 15 episodes for Season 2, which is scheduled to return to TNT on January 28, 2013. TNT and production studio Warner Bros. have not yet commented on how the series will deal with the loss of Larry Hagman and J.R. Ewing. I would guess they will have to go with the truth; with the death of Larry Hagman brings an obvious death to J.R. Ewing.
Not far from Dallas, Larry Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas on September 21, 1931. His dad was attorney Ben Hagman and his mom was the Broadway superstar Mary Martin.
We all know that J.R. Ewing was a conniving businessman who lied to anyone and everyone; and was as corrupt as corrupt can be. Although married to Sue Ellen (during certain seasons), J.R. was a faithless, cheating husband who we loathed, but still loved. In real life, Larry Hagman shared a beautiful marriage with his wife, Maj, for 58 years. They have a daughter Heidi and a son, Preston plus 5 grandchildren. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to his entire family and his friends for their terrible loss.
In a statement on Friday night about her old friend, Linda Gray wrote, "Larry was the pied piper of life and 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. The world was a brighter place because of him."
Patrick Duffy described Larry as "My
best friend in the world. The relationship that Larry and I have came fully blossomed the first day we met. That's what makes me believe in past lives. I don't know how I could be a best friend with someone when I shook their hand for the first time meeting them. That's what happened with Larry. That's what made it so much fun to shoot those scenes where I grabbed his shirt collar and threw him against the wall, because inside I was laughing. This is my best friend."
As I concluded my interview with Larry back in 2002, I asked him to describe his life in one word. He replied, "Lucky." Well, Larry...it is I who have been lucky to have known you...and as Larry's Dallas co-star Victoria Principal (Pamela Barnes Ewing) reminisced, "He was 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." We will always treasure you and applaud you, Larry, for your outstanding performances for more than half a century.
Larry's co-star from I Dream Of Jeannie, Barbara Eden - who also appeared during one season in Dallas - released a statement Friday night about her longtime pal and wrote, "I can honestly say that we've lost not just a great actor, not just a television icon, but an element of pure Americana. Goodbye Larry. There was no one like you before and there will never be anyone like you again."
I couldn't agree more. Larry Hagman was one of the best.
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
Copyright 2012 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.
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