Buck Rogers in the 25th Century star Gil Gerard has died aged 82 after a battle with cancer. The actor’s wife confirmed the sad news in a Facebook post, announcing that he had died in his Georgia home on Tuesday.
“Early this morning Gil – my soulmate – lost his fight with a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer,” she wrote. “From the moment when we knew something was wrong to his death this morning was only days.
“No matter how many years I got to spend with him it would have ever been enough. Hold the ones you have tightly and love them fiercely.”
Gerard’s wife Janet, who he married in 2007, also shared a statement that the actor had written for release after his death. “My life has been an amazing journey. The opportunities I’ve had, the people I’ve met and the love I have given and received have made my 82 years on the planet deeply satisfying.
“My journey has taken me from Arkansas to New York to Los Angeles, and finally, to my home in North Georgia with my amazing wife, Janet, of 18 years.
“It’s been a great ride, but inevitably one that comes to a close as mine has,” advising fans not to waste “time on anything that doesn’t thrill you or bring you love.” He then signed off: “See you out somewhere in the cosmos.”
Gil began acting in 1970, appearing in TV adverts and taking on small roles in films like Some of My Best Friends Are… and Man on a Swing. He played the role of Dr. Alan Stewart on soap The Doctors for two years and appeared in shows like Hawaii Five-O, Ransom for Alice and Little House of the Prairie.
However, his big break came when he landed the starring role in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, playing Captain William ‘Buck’ Rogers. Based on the Philip Francis Nowlan character, the NBC sci-fi series told the story of NASA pilot Buck, who is accidentally frozen for 504 years before on his spacecraft before it’s discovered in the year 2491.
Gil starred alongside actors Erin Gray, Tim O’Connor and Felix Silla, with the show running from 1979 until 1981. After Buck Rogers, Gil went on to appear in martial arts series Sidekicks, The Big Easy and Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II. One of his final film roles was in the Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling 2016 film The Nice Guys, while he voiced Megatronus in Transformers: Robots in Disguise the year before.
The actor married four times throughout his life – with his first to a secretary in Arkansas lasting just eight months in the 1960s. He went on to wed model and actress Connie Sellecca in 1979, with the couple welcoming son Gilbert two years later.
After struggling with drug and alcohol addictions over the cancellation of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, the couple divorced in 1987, with Gil marrying interior designer Bobi Leonard that same year. Their marriage was dissolved a year later. His fourth and final marriage was to Janet, who he lived with in north Georgia until his death.
Fans have taken to social media to pay tribute to the star, with one writing: “Star of one of my favourite TV shows as a kid, RIP Gil Gerard.” Another wrote: “My deepest condolences to the family and friends. Goodbye gentleman and fly to the stars.”
A third said: “Gil Gerard has died at 82. Can’t tell you how much I loved ‘Buck Rogers in the 25th Century’. Gil was one of the coolest guys in space, and watching Buck is a cherished childhood memory, Erin and Pamela also helped. “Biddy Biddy Biddy, RIP Gil.'”
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Source: Mirror
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