Chuck Connors co-star in The Rifleman passes away
02 May 2021, 04:17 GMT+10
WASHINGTON, DC - Johnny Crawford, the first Mouseketeer who featured as the young son of the Civil War veteran depicted by Chuck Connors on the 1958-63 ABC series 'The Rifleman,' has died.
He passed away on Thursday at the age of 75.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, in 2019, it was revealed Crawford had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and a GoFundMe campaign was coordinated by Paul Petersen, the advocate for former child actors and onetime star of The Donna Reed Show, to help the family deal with expenses.
Crawford was 12 when he showed up for the first time as Mark McCain, child of the single man Lucas McCain, on 'The Rifleman.' The Four Star Television series, set in the New Mexico Region with storylines created by Sam Peckinpah, ran for five seasons, from September 30, 1958, to April 8, 1963, and then for decades in syndication and reruns.