Goodbye, 'Grizzly Adams': Dan Haggerty Dies at 74

We'll never forget his adventures with Ben the bear
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 15, 2016 10:43 AM CST

The bearded woodsman whose best friend was a bear named Ben has died. Dan Haggerty, the namesake star of the '70s TV show The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, passed away Friday morning at the age of 74 of cancer, sources who say they're close to the Haggerty family tell TMZ. Haggerty's manager, Terry Bomar, confirmed his death to ABC News. In addition to the Grizzly Adams TV series (and the film of the same name that spawned it), the Wisconsin actor also appeared in other TV staples of that era, including Charlie's Angels and The Love Boat.

Haggerty had only known about his illness for a short time: He was diagnosed in August with spinal cancer after suffering back pain in July, Bomar tells People. "He fought hard," Bomar says. "He had a great Thanksgiving, he had a great Christmas with his family." (More celebrity stories.)

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