Dan Haggerty, who gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of the kind mountain man with a striking beard and his bear friend Ben in the NBC television series and 1974 film “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams,” passed away on Friday in Burbank, California. His age was 73 years.
Terry Bomar, his manager and friend, stated that spinal cancer was the cause of death.
Dan Haggerty was creating a name for himself in Hollywood as an animal handler and stuntman before landing his famous part. When a producer requested him to appear in a few opening moments for a film about a woodsman and his bear, it was his big break. The plot, which is based on a novel by Charles Sellier Jr., centers on a man who flees to the woods after being wrongfully convicted of murder, becomes friends with the local wildlife, and takes in an abandoned bear.
Haggerty accepted to do the part, but he had one requirement: he had to appear in the whole film. Despite having a relatively low budget of $165,000, the film’s remake brought in close to $30 million at the box office. Because of this popularity, a television series was created, and in February 1977, Haggerty went back to playing the character of the wild and outdoorsy wilderness guardian.
The audience responded well to the show. It lukewarms the heart, as The New York Times’ John Leonard observed in his review. A large lump in the throat and a lot of communing with nature are experienced when a man and a bear hide out in a log cabin. Haggerty won a 1978 People’s Choice Award for being the most well-liked actor in a new series because of the series’ warm and sympathetic tone, which won over a lot of viewers.
The series also yielded two follow-ups: “Legend of the Wild,” which was broadcast on television in 1978 and eventually released in theaters in 1981, and “The Capture of Grizzly Adams,” a 1982 television film in which Adams ultimately exonerates himself of the false charge.
Born in Los Angeles on November 19, 1942, Daniel Francis Haggerty had a difficult upbringing. He had a turbulent childhood, breaking out of military school several times before coming home with his actor-father in Burbank when his parents divorced when he was three years old.
Haggerty was married twice in his personal life. When he was 17, he got married to Diane Rooker, but they later got divorced. In 2008, he lost his second wife, Samantha Hilton, in a horrific motorbike accident. His children, Don, Megan, Tracy, Dylan, and Cody, survive him.
In his debut motion picture, “Muscle Beach Party” (1964), Haggerty portrayed bodybuilder Biff. After that, he played supporting parts in motorcycle and wildlife movies. He was a hippie commune member in “Easy Rider.” He also played the role off-screen, living with a variety of wild creatures he had either tamed or rescued on a small ranch in Malibu Canyon.
His expertise with animals led to positions as an animal trainer and stuntman for television shows including “Daktari” and “Tarzan.” He kept taking on parts like “Where the North Wind Blows” (1974) and “The Adventures of Frontier Fremont” (1976) that highlighted his affinity for the natural world. His love of outdoor parts brought him roles evoking Grizzly Adams to movies like “Grizzly Mountain” (1997) and “Escape to Grizzly Mountain” (2000).
Haggerty had appearances in a number of horror movies later in his career, such as “Terror Night” (1987) and “Elves” (1989). He was involved in court in 1985 and was given a 90-day jail sentence for distributing cocaine to police officers who were undercover.
Tragic incidents also occurred in his life. Haggerty suffered third-degree burns to his arms when a diner carrying a burning drink unintentionally caught his renowned beard on fire in 1977 when he was dining. Despite being admitted to the hospital and supposed to stay for a month, he left after just ten days, claiming to have expertise of curing animals.
“The first couple of days I just lay in the dark room drinking water, like a wounded wolf trying to heal myself,” he said, reflecting on his injury, to People magazine.
My Parents Invited Me to Dinner to Hand My Late Grandma’s Earrings to My Sister, but That Wasn’t the Worst Part
My Parents Invited Me to Dinner to Hand My Late Grandma’s Earrings to My Sister, but That Wasn’t the Worst Part
I fell in love with an older guy at 20, but despite our ups and downs, I hope he would want something more serious. But instead, I faced heartbreak and a shocking betrayal from my sister.
My story is a strange one. When I was 20, I got involved with a guy who was much older than me. Our situation was complicated; we were on and off for about five years. He never wanted a real relationship, but he knew that I was deeply in love with him. Since he could not give me the stability I needed, I would try to leave, and he would convince me to stay, telling me that life was too short and we should just enjoy our time together.
A couple cooking together | Source: Shutterstock
I found myself stuck, not knowing how to move forward with this guy. So, I turned to my sister for advice, who is now 42. She suggested I leave my things at his place to make him commit, but I didn’t want to force him into falling in love with me. On our last night together, he talked about becoming more serious. He gave me ideas of potential dates, but then he just disappeared.
A woman on her phone at night | Source: Shuttertsock
Six months later, my sister announced she had a new boyfriend and wanted our parents to meet him at a family dinner. It seemed like I was not included in the dinner, so I was prepared to stay in my room for the night.
A woman looking sad while on her phone | Source: Shuttertsock
I decided to order myself a pizza since I was not having dinner with everyone, but when I got downstairs, I was shocked to see it was the same guy I had been with six months ago having dinner with my parents. I paid for the pizza, ran to my room, and cried.
When the dinner was over, I confronted my sister in front of my parents. I was certain she knew who he was, even though they hadn’t met. I had told her everything, from where he lived and worked to showing her his pictures.
A woman sleeping | Source: Shutterstock
I begged her not to date him and choose me over him. My sister saw me struggle to get out of bed from that heartbreak. She knew how difficult the last six months were for me, especially since I never got any closure on why he decided to just disappear.
A family having dinner | Source: Shutterstock
But she defended herself and said they met by chance after we broke up. My sister told me that she was certain he was the one and there was no way she was going to let go of this kind of connection because it comes once in a lifetime. My family also told me to get over it because he and I were never officially together.
Two women arguing | Source: Shutterstock
I decided it was best for me to move out, but my sister continued to live at home. Time passed, and things got more difficult. I was left out of family events because he was there. I didn’t care about him anymore, but I felt my family had let me down. I would only get weekly texts from my father checking in on me.
A woman packing | Source: Pexels
One day my parents invited me over for dinner. I thought this might be a chance for us to talk things over and reconcile, but when I got there, I found out that my sister was six months pregnant and planning to marry my ex-boyfriend.
I do not know what I expected, but I thought the time apart would have been a time for introspection for both my mother and sister. However, it was the opposite. It just seemed like they were out to hurt me.
A woman sitting on the edge of the bed looking sad | Source: Shutterstock
On top of finding out about the pregnancy and marriage, my mother told me that my grandmother’s diamond earrings, which she had trusted my parents to pass down to me, would now be given to my sister because she was the first to get married and about to give them their first grandchild.
A pregnant woman with baby clothes in front of her | Source: Shutterstock
I did not know what was worse. The betrayal was just layered and felt deliberate. My grandmother and I shared a very close relationship, even closer than the one she had with my sister. Those earrings had been in the family for generations, and my sister was meant to get her gold necklace.
Diamond earrings | Source: Pexels
All of this was making me extremely angry because my sister seemed to be constantly getting what was mine. These earrings were special and the one precious thing my grandmother left me. I told my parents they had to give me the earrings or I would stop talking to them. I took the earrings from their house and left. My mom cried and said I was making a big mistake, but I felt I had to stand up for myself.
A woman looking sad | Source: Shutterstock
After that explosive argument, I didn’t talk to my family much. I really felt like I was getting the hang of living on my own and healing from that breakup. I was having fun decorating my home and really turning a new leaf in life.
A woman shocked at her phone | Source: Shutterstock
Then one day, my ex, also my sister’s fiancé, started following me on Instagram, liking my stories, and commenting things like “looking good.” Out of nowhere, my mother called me, calling me all sorts of names and blaming me for going after a man I knew was not mine in the first place.
I was very confused because that was not true. Later down the line, my cousin told me my sister had gone through her fiancé’s phone and found several conversations between him and other women. But my mother decided to blame me for his cheating.
A woman secretly taking her partner’s phone | Source: Shutterstock
A few weeks later, my cousin, who has been the number one gossiper and the one person who keeps me updated on family affairs, told me that my sister had given birth to a baby girl.
A woman with a new born | Source: Shutterstock
I know this might sound shallow, but I went to the hospital wearing my grandmother’s diamond earrings and came with a gift. But I was kicked out. My mother said I was a disgrace to the family and that they wanted nothing to do with me anymore.
A woman smiling | Source: Shutterstock
It hurts that I have had to cut my family off over this whole situation, but so much has been said and done. I think a break will do us good. I will continue to enjoy my life alone. Everything has been falling into place, and I am ready to move on from all of this drama. It’s time for me to be strong and live my life the way I think is right.
Here is another nail-biting story about how a bride found out her husband-to-be was having an affair with her sister.
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