James Arness of 'Gunsmoke' fame dies at 88

Allhallowsday · June 03, 2011, 01:55:20 PM

James Arness of 'Gunsmoke' fame dies at 88
James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the television landscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He was 88.

The actor died in his sleep at his home in Brentwood, Calif., according to his business manager, Ginny Fazer.

Arness' official website posted a letter from Arness on Friday that he wrote with the intention that it be posted posthumously: "I had a wonderful life and was blessed with ... (so) many loving people and great friends," he wrote.

"I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for the many years of being a fan of Gunsmoke, The Thing, How the West Was Won and all the other fun projects I was lucky enough to have been allowed to be a part of. I had the privilege of working with so many great actors over the years."

As U.S. Marshal Dillon in the 1955-75 CBS Western series, Arness created an indelible portrait of a quiet, heroic man with an unbending dedication to justice and the town he protected.

The wealth and fame Arness gained from "Gunsmoke" could not protect him from tragedy in his personal life: His daughter and his former wife, Virginia, both died of drug overdoses.

Arness, a quiet, intensely private man who preferred the outdoor life to Hollywood's party scene, rarely gave interviews and refused to discuss the tragedies.

"He's big, impressive and virile," co-star Amanda Blake (Miss Kitty) once said of Arness, adding, "I've worked with him for 16 years, but I don't really know him..."

http://beta.news.yahoo.com/james-arness-gunsmoke-fame-dies-88-170959723.html

Nightowl · June 03, 2011, 03:44:00 PM

Sad. I've always been a huge fan of Gunsmoke. RIP

Silverlady · June 03, 2011, 04:11:24 PM

This fine actor will truly be missed.

InformationGeek · June 03, 2011, 06:02:27 PM

Such a shame, I loved him in The Thing and Them!. He was certianly a great actor.

JaseSF · June 07, 2011, 10:23:55 PM

R.I.P.

Sorry to hear this. Will always remember him for The Thing From Another World and Them! but he was good in most everything in which he appeared...

Flick James · June 08, 2011, 08:33:41 AM

My Dad was a Gunsmoke nut, that and Hee Haw. Hell, our dog was named Festus for crying out loud, which obviously my Dad envisioned himself as Marshall Matt Dillon. So ingrained was this show in my brain that when the actor Matt Dillon started emerging in the 80's I got really confused.

indianasmith · June 08, 2011, 09:51:14 AM

A class act all the way around. RIP.

Umaril The Unfeathered · June 08, 2011, 12:21:54 PM

Quote from: indianasmith on June 08, 2011, 09:51:14 AM
A class act all the way around. RIP.

Agreed 100%.
Along with Jon Wayne, Mr. Arness was the last of a dying breed.

Allhallowsday · June 08, 2011, 06:47:36 PM

Quote from: Umaril The Unfeathered on June 08, 2011, 12:21:54 PM
Quote from: indianasmith on June 08, 2011, 09:51:14 AM
A class act all the way around. RIP.

Agreed 100%.
Along with Jon Wayne, Mr. Arness was the last of a dying breed.

It was JOHN WAYNE who got JAMES ARNESS his "Gunsmoke" job.

Umaril The Unfeathered · June 09, 2011, 11:36:19 AM

Quote from: Umaril The Unfeathered on June 08, 2011, 12:21:54 PM
Quote from: indianasmith on June 08, 2011, 09:51:14 AM
A class act all the way around. RIP.

Agreed 100%.
Along with Jon Wayne, Mr. Arness was the last of a dying breed.

Quote from: Allhallowsday on June 08, 2011, 06:47:36 PM
It was JOHN WAYNE who got JAMES ARNESS his "Gunsmoke" job.

Interesting!

I could see how that could happen being John Wayne was kickin' ass and takin' names quite a few years before James Arness picked up a pistol and wore a badge in the name of justice. Wayne was no doubt a man of some weight in the Western film genre by that time.