Ernie Lively, the actor of the beloved movies ‘The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants’ and ‘Turner & Hooch’, has passed away in Los Angeles after a resounding career in Hollywood spanning across five decades.
A representative of Lively confirmed that the actor had a persistent heart problem and died of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles. Being an integral part of the industry, the death of the actor has been considered a huge loss for Hollywood.
Ernie was a fantastic performer who is recognized for several television shows, such as Turner & Hooch, The Dukes of Hazzard, Falcon Crest, The X-Files, Malibu Shores, The West Wing, Murder, She Wrote, and That ’70s Show. He was also known for his performance in several critically acclaimed movies, like Mulholland Falls, The Beverly Hillbillies, Passenger 57, The Man in the Moon, Showdown in Little Tokyo, Air America, and Shocker. The actor, a Maryland native born in Baltimore in January 1947, earned his first acting credit on “The Waltons’ at the age of 28. He was also a part of popular series like ‘Fame’, Hill Street Blues, ‘Baywatch’.
Ernie was also the first documented patient to receive reverse gene therapy for the heart. After finding out that his heart was functioning at only half capacity, Ernie worked with Dr Amit Patel of the University of Utah School at Medicine’s Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, where the actor’s natural stem cells were injected into the heart to heal damaged arteries and muscles. The event was considered a breakthrough in the field of surgery.
Lively is survived by his wife Elaine Lively, their five children, sister Judith, and nine grandchildren.
