Michael Landon was an original cast member of "Bonanza," portraying Little Joe Cartwright, alongside Dan Blocker as his brother, Hoss. After filming wrapped on the show's 13th season in 1972, according to Douglas Snauffer's "The Show Must Go On," Blocker underwent gallbladder removal surgery. He suffered complications, with a blood clot forming and traveling to his lung. Blocker's heart stopped before surgeons could take out the clot. The actor was 43.
Production resumed on "Bonanza" months later, and guest star Ken Howard remembered Landon trying to keep up appearances. "He just had this wonderful humor about everything," he said. "He just made everybody laugh all the time." When filming concluded, Landon gave a speech to the cast and crew about how hard it had been to carry on, with his voice breaking during his speech. "Bonanza" lasted just one more season without Blocker.
History sadly repeated in 1989. Just a few months after production ended on "Highway to Heaven," Landon's friend and co-star Victor French died. According to the AP, the cause of death was lung cancer, with which French had been diagnosed only three months earlier. But according to Landon, French's alcohol addiction getting the best of him was the real killer, as his "Little House on the Prairie" co-star Karen Grassle wrote in her memoir.
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