Actor Larry Hagman, 81, whom fans for decades confused with J.R. Ewing, the conniving character he so convincingly played on TV's Dallas, died Friday, Nov 23, in the Texas city that made him a household name, USA Today reported.
Hagman had been battling cancer for the past year, having announced his diagnosis just as he began work on the soap-opera reboot for TNT.
A statement released to the Dallas Morning News by the actor's family noted, "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."
Though best known for his work on Dallas, Hagman, who graduated from Bard College and served in the Air Force, also appeared on the daytime soap opera Edge of Night from 1961-63. In 1954 he wed Maj Axelsson, with whom he had two children, daughter Heidi Kristina and son Preston.
In addition to his television work, Hagman portrayed a corrupt Texas oilman in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995), And in Mike Nichols' Primary Colors (1998), he played an ex-Florida governor.
The second season of TNT's Dallas is scheduled to premiere Jan 28.
