Actor Johnny Crawford has died aged 75. He was known for his appearance as Mark McCain as an actor on “The Rifleman”.
As per the actor’s website, he died on Thursday with his spouse by his side after contracting COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s disease.
“It is with great despair that we confirm the news of Johnny Crawford’s passing,” the website published. “We are thankful for the support from fans and friends and outpouring of love around the world.”
After appearing in the ABC series “The Riflemen,” Johnny rose to stardom, which aired for five years. He played the son of a western rancher by Chuck Connors (Lucas McCain), who was also a Civil War veteran. His role in the series led him to be nominated for Emmy for best supporting actor in a drama series.
Johnny was the first one to play Mouseketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club. He also acted in many Television series which ran in the 1950s, including “The Count of Monte Cristo,” “The Lone Ranger”, and “The Loretta Young Show.”
Johnny released a song called “Cindy’s Birthday”, which topped the Billboard charts at No. 7.
He has also performed the theme song of the 2004 film “Hellboy” called “Easy Come Easy Go.”
Friends in Hollywood remembered Johnny on Twitter as a “dear friend” and an “inspiration.”
Bruce Boxleitner, the actor of “How the West Was Won”, wrote: “He was one of the kindest people I ever met. I never heard a bad word from his mouth. A friend of mine since the ’80s and an inspiration to me as a boy.”
