'Tarzan' star Ron Ely dies aged 86: reports

Ron Ely, known for starring in the original TV series “Tarzan,” has died, his daughter Kirsten Ely announced on social media Wednesday. He was 86.

According to the New York Times, the former actor died on September 29 at one of his daughter's homes near Santa Barbara, California. USA TODAY was unable to reach representatives for Ely for comment

“The world has lost one of the greatest men it has ever known – and I have lost my father,” Kirsten Ely wrote in her Instagram post and in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.

Born in North Texas, Ely was known for roles in series such as “The Aquanauts” as well as in films such as “Night of the Grizzly” and the 1975 action film “Doc Savage: The Bronze Man.”

In addition to his acting roles, his career also included hosting appearances at the 1980 and 1981 Miss America pageants, filling in for longtime host Bert Parks, and the game show “Face the Music” within that two-year period.

He was born on June 21, 1938 in Hereford, Texas. He attended Amarillo High School in Potter County and spent a year as a student at the University of Texas at Austin before heading to California.

Daughter calls Ron a mentor, leader and hero

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Kirsten Ely said those who knew her father called him a hero as well as an “actor, writer, coach, mentor, family man and leader.”

“Wherever he went he created a powerful wave of positive influence. The impact he had on others is something I have never experienced in any other person – there was something truly magical about him. That's how the world knew him,” Kirsten Ely wrote.

She added that she is meeting her grief with “the strength and grace that I know he would want for me” and that she is “picking up the pieces of my heart that feel like pieces of him.”

“My father's life story was one of tireless perseverance, endless devotion to his family and friends, courage to do the right thing and sacrifice to achieve the dreams of those he loved,” she said. “It was also a story of joy and love – something that everyone close to him was able to experience. Knowing my Father’s love made the world a brighter and more meaningful place.”

Police killed Ely's son after his wife was fatally stabbed in 2019

Ely's second wife, Valerie Lundeen Ely, 62, was fatally stabbed by her 30-year-old son Cameron Ely on Oct. 15, 2019, at a home near Santa Barbara, police said at the time.

Officers killed Cameron Ely after firing 24 shots outside the home. After his death, officers found playing cards, small rocks, a car key, crumpled papers, a bank card, an iPhone and a plastic bag containing cocaine in his pocket, but no weapons. No charges have been filed against the deputies who shot Cameron.

“As (Cameron) disobeyed the officers' verbal commands, he jumped up and moved his hands to his waistband as if reaching for a weapon while saying, 'I have a gun!' “Shortly after killing his mother, his actions caused (the four deputies) to have a reasonable fear of death or serious bodily harm,” a district attorney report said.

In October 2020, Ron Ely and his two daughters, Kirsten and Kaitland, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court against Santa Barbara County, the sheriff's office and the four deputies, alleging civil rights violations related to the “unjustified use of deadly force.” Violence and denial of medical care resulted in the deaths of Cameron Ely and Valerie Lundeen Ely.

The lawsuit alleged that the shooting occurred less than 20 seconds after officers saw Cameron approaching them with his hands raised, “the universal act of surrender.” The lawsuit said Cameron was unarmed, calm and made no threats, and therefore “there was no reason for the defendant deputies to use any force, particularly deadly force, against Cameron.”

(This story has been updated because an earlier version contained an inaccuracy.)

Contributor: Charles Trepany

Police killed Ely's son after his wife was fatally stabbed in 2019

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