- Michael Landon was a famous actor
- He died at the age of 54
- Find out why his second wife did not attend his funeral
Michael Landon's funeral at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in California was attended by both his real family and his TV family from Little House on the Prairie.
But his second wife, Marjorie Lynn Noe, with whom Landon had four children, stayed away from the ceremony. Here's why.
Michael Landon's second wife didn't attend his funeral
Noe and the Bonanza actor had divorced in 1982, and there was a sad reason for Noe's absence from the funeral. According to IMDb, the divorce from her husband affected Noe so deeply that it was already "like a death" for her.
She is said to have told her children that after Landon died. Still, there were countless loved ones who mourned at the funeral of the beloved actor.
Although Noe received $26 million from her ex-husband when they divorced, including a $3.5 million home, the breakup was a heavy blow for her. In a later interview, she stated that, in death, her late ex-husband became "her angel."
Michael Landon's cause of death
Michael Landon's cause of death was pancreatic cancer. He only went public with his diagnosis a few months before he passed.
In May 1991, Michael Landon had his last TV appearance on The Tonight Show. At that time, the cancer was very advanced. Compared to Johnny Carson, the actor was confident and combative, but even then the cancer had attacked his liver.
Not long after, Landon lost the fight and died surrounded by his family. His death on July 1, 1991, came as a shock to his fans, as the actor had remained optimistic to the end.
Even if his ex-wife did not attend the funeral, Landon was honoured by the rest of the bereaved at the ceremony.
Melissa Gilbert quoted words that Landon himself wrote on Little House: "Remember me with smiles and laughter, for that's the way I'll remember you all. If you can only remember me with tears, then don't remember me at all."
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