Michael Landon passed away over 30 years ago, but we still remember him well. He starred in famous TV shows like ‘Bonanza’, ‘Little House on the Prairie’, and ‘Highway to Heaven’.
While we often saw him on TV, he was also a loving husband and father. His main goal was to be close to his children.
Landon’s desire to be a good parent may have come from his difficult childhood. His mother had serious mental health issues, and he even saved her life several times when she tried to commit suicide.
Though he was a talented athlete, an injury in college ended his sports career. This led him to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting. Over his long TV career, he appeared on the cover of TV Guide 22 times, a record he shares with Lucille Ball.
Michael Landon pictured in March, 1991. Credit / Ron Galella /Ron Galella Collection / Getty.
Michael Landon was married three times and had nine children. With his first wife, Dodie Levy-Fraser, he adopted two sons, Mark and John. His second wife, Lynn Noe, gave him four more children: Leslie, Michael Jr., Christopher, and Shawna. He also adopted Lynn’s daughter, Cheryl, from a previous relationship.
After his second marriage ended, Landon married Cindy Clerico, which caused some controversy because she was 20 years younger, and people thought he had been unfaithful to his second wife.
Landon denied these accusations, telling People in 1985 that a relationship doesn’t end just to be with someone younger; it ends because of major differences and a deep need to move on.
Landon had two more children with Cindy, Jennifer and Matthew. Despite having a big family, his daughter Jennifer said in a 2019 interview with Closer Weekly that he was a wonderful father who loved learning and teaching his children.
Sadly, Landon passed away in 1991 at just 54 years old, less than three months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was surrounded by his children, who loved and supported him until the very end.
The next year, his son Christopher Landon, a director, shared with People magazine about his father’s last days. He talked about how their roles reversed, with his father becoming like a “son” and Christopher taking on the role of “father.”
In recent years, Christopher, the director of ‘Happy Death Day’, has often posted tributes to his late father on social media.
However, Christopher has not always had it so easy, revealing to his fans on social media in 2021 that he had been diagnosed with kidney cancer. Posting an image of himself in a hospital bed to Instagram, he wrote in the caption: “Whelp….where to start. About a week ago I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. I was rushed into emergency surgery to have part of my kidney removed…”
His illness was, fortunately, in its early stages and doctors were able to perform emergency surgery to remove parts of the kidneys.
Though, Christopher encouraged everyone to get tested and stay on top of their health before it was too late.
How lovely to see that Michael Landon’s family is carrying on his legacy… It’s heartwarming to see!