The Marlboro Man has passed away. The cause of death? Marlboros.
Eric Lawson, who posed as the Marlboro Man in the 1970s, died Jan. 10 at his home in San Luis Obispo, Calif., of respiratory failure due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, his wife, Susan Lawson said Sunday. He was 72.
Lawson was an actor who landed the Marlboro Man gig from 1978 to 1981. The print ads featured Lawson as the rugged cowboy every woman wanted to be with and every man wanted to smoke cigarettes with. Lawson also enjoyed a long and successful acting career that included appearances on “Dynasty,” “Baywatch” and “Charlie’s Angels.”
Even though he started smoking at age 14 and represented Marlboros for four years in his prime, Lawson eventually came around on the dangers of cigarettes. He filmed an anti-smoking commercial later in his career, as well as an “Entertainment Tonight” segment about the hazards of lighting up.
Lawson is the third Marlboro man to pass away from smoking-related diseases, joining David Millar (emphysema, 1987) and David McLean (lung cancer, 1995). So yeah, the Marlboro Man gig is probably something to shy away for any young actors still looking for that big break.
Via Fox News
