Larry Hagman Dead at 81

OHMYGOSSIP — Larry Hagman has died the age of 81. The actor — best known for playing JR Ewing on the hit TV shoe Dallas — passed away Friday night after ongoing complications in his battle with throat cancer, with his family and close friends at his bedside.

“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,” said a statement from Larry’s family.

“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.”

Hagman had reprised his role as JR in the modern reboot of the iconic show and often said he wouldn’t have got through filming without the support of his costars Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy after being diagnosed with cancer last year.

The pair were also present during his last moments at Medical City Dallas Hospital, and Linda — who played JR’s long-suffering wife Sue Ellen – commented, “Larry Hagman was my best friend for 35 years. He was the Pied Piper of life and brought joy to everyone who knew him. He was creative, generous, funny, loving and talented. I’ll miss him enormously.”

Larry struggled with alcohol addiction over the course of his career and needed a liver transplant in 1995. His wife of 58 years, Maj, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2008, and recently moved into a nursing home because her condition had deteriorated so severely.

Hagman had previously urged Americans not to take their organs with them when they die — because he’s living proof that donors’ efforts keep others alive.

“Eighteen people die every day waiting for an organ, and that’s ridiculous. There’s a cure for all these diseases if people just give up their organs and don’t take them with them when they pass on,” he said back in 2008.