First 'modern Tarzan' actor Ron Ely dies aged 86, five years after losing his wife and son

On October 24, it was announced that American actor Ron Ely had passed away at the end of September. The star, who is most famously known for playing Tarzan, had died at the age of 86.

Ely was a star in his own right between the 1960s and 1980s. He took on the role of Tarzan in the NBC series, but that was not his only major role. The American actor was notably a part of the Love Boat cast. He also played an important role in the German western film Cry of the Black Wolves, alongside famous German actress Gila von Weitershausen.

Moreover, Ely was known for presenting the Miss America pageant in the 1980s, and that's where he met his second wife Valerie Lundeen.

The actor had been retired since 2001 but he acted up until 2014

In 2001, Ron Ely announced that he wanted to retire and enjoy time with his family—his wife Valerie with whom he shared two daughters and a son

He disappeared from the big screens for a long time but in 2014, Ron Ely made an exception. Indeed, the native Texan returned to the business once again for an appearance in the dramatic film Expecting Amish. He was 76 years old at the time.

He lost part of his family in 2019

Five years later, Ron Ely made the front-page headlines once again. But this time, it was for a a rather traumatic and shocking reason.

Ron Ely's then 30-year-old son Cameron had stabbed his mother, Ely's wife, Valerie, to death. He was then shot dead by the police. Ely, and his lawyers, believed that the death of his son could have been avoided as he was unarmed. Ely said that Cameron was trying to turn himself into the police when he was fired at 20 times. He sued the city of Santa Barbara for wrongful death.

It has been reported by local news outlet, KEYT, that in 2022 the lawsuit was rejected by California's Central District on the grounds that the force used against Cameron was 'justified'.

Hollywood legend Ron Ely has now died at the age of 86

Now there is even more tragic news from the family. As one of his daughters, Kirsten Casale Ely, announced via The Associated Press, Ron Ely passed away at his home in Los Alamos on 29 September 2024.

She dedicated an emotional post to her father on Instagram, where she wrote about the star, but mostly about her beloved dad:

The world has lost one of the greatest men it has ever known - and I have lost my dad.

My greatest comfort is knowing that my dad is with my momma and my brother. It is also my greatest sadness because I miss them all so much that it’s etched into my soul. I will proudly carry all of my favorite pieces of them - lovingly cemented into my heart - until we all meet again.

This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag DE.

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Sources used:

Associated Press: Ron Ely, TV’s ‘Tarzan’ in the 1960s, dies at 86

Instagram

BBC: Tarzan star Ron Ely dies aged 86