James Arness: Last Western Hero Dies, 88

James Arness of "Gunsmoke" fame has passed away at age 88. It is with such grief that fans say good-bye to the last western hero. In a business that eats people, Arness prevailed without blemish or scandal. He had tragedies, but no scandals in his life.

Arness and "Gunsmoke" were part of family rituals. They all tuned in to watch Matt Dillon get the bad guy. "Gunsmoke", like so many other shows back then, always had the bad guy lose, and the good guy win. Always. His methods of catching a bad guy and of how he treated that person were always honorable.

The fact is, " Arness" and John Wayne could entertain us without sex, vulgarity or extreme visual violence. They still helped us to use imagination. Westerns today depend on sex, vulgarity and extreme visual violence for viewers to tune in or pay for a ticket. Encore Western Channel and TV Land still play reruns of the "Gunsmoke" series. On the official James Arness website, Jim was extremely pleased that it was still running.

" Arness" served in the military, fought at Anzio, wounded and received the purple heart. He appeared to be an easy-going guy who knew his craft and had it down to a science. He put family first and was an extremely private man when it came to them. His daughter and first wife reportedly died of overdoses. His second wife Janet was mentioned in almost all of his monthly letters to his fans on his website.

Baby boomers grew up watching "Gunsmoke". Many of them will be saddened at the loss of this western icon. The only one that comes close to the caliber of James Arness and John Wayne may be Tom Seleck. The image or character on the screen is one thing, but being a hero in real life is another. Both "Arness" and John Wayne did a lot for people in their everyday lives.

He cared about his fans and was johnny-on-the-spot to write a letter each and every month to his them on his website. Many fans wrote to Arness; I am one of those fans.

Maybe its because my dad wore the 4-5 inch cuffs in his jeans, wore the cowboy hat and rode those horses. Maybe its because pop was built "Arness" in those days. I know that I will miss him and cannot express my sorrow enough. I will miss dropping him a line.

The standard for being a hero in my book is pretty tough. The last western hero of an era has died. Condolences to his wife and family, and a heartfelt thank-you to James Arness for all of his outstanding work.