Michael Landon (Eugene Maurice Orowitz) 

                         (October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991)

Actor Michael Landon was also a  writer, director, and producer. He is
known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza (1959–1973),
Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974–1983), and Jonathan
Smith in Highway to Heaven (1984–1989), all on NBC-TV.  Landon has 
appeared on the cover of TV Guide 22 times, second only to Lucille Ball.

The Cartwright’s from left: Dan Blocker,Michael Landon, Lorene Greene, and
Pernell Roberts

June 1991

Landon began to suffer from severe abdominal pain in February 1991. On
April 5, 1991, pancreatic cancer was diagnosed; it had metastasized into his
liver and lymph nodes. The cancer was inoperable and the doctors’ prognosis
was terminal. On July 1, 1991, at age 54, Landon died in Malibu, California