“Tarzan” star Ron Ely’s cause of death has been revealed.
The actor, who passed away on Sept. 29, died from “end-stage heart disease,” according to his death certificate, obtained by TMZ.
The document also reportedly stated that the star died at 7:04 PM, adding that his body was later cremated.
Ely was 86.
The “Tarzan” actor’s daughter Kirsten revealed the news of her father’s passing on Oct. 23 in an Instagram post.
“The world has lost one of the greatest men it has ever known – and I have lost my dad,” Kirsten captioned her post. “My father was someone that people called a hero. He was an actor, writer, coach, mentor, family man and leader. He created a powerful wave of positive influence wherever he went.
According to The New York Times, the star passed away at the home of one of his daughters in the vicinity of Santa Barbara, Calif.
The actor broke into show business in the 1950s, winning supporting roles on popular TV shows such as “Father Knows Best,” “How to Marry a Millionaire” and “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.”
But he reached a new level of success in 1966 when he landed the titular role in NBC’s TV series “Tarzan,” a modern reimagining of the jungle by novelist Edgar Rice Burroughs created in 1912.
Ely starred in “Tarzan” for the entirety of its 57-episode run that ended in 1968.
Ely kept acting after the series wrapped in 1968. He starred in the 1975 action-adventure movie “Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze,” and guest starred on TV shows up to the ’90s, appearing on hits such as “Wonder Woman,” “The Love Boat,” “Fantasy Island,” “Marcus Welby, M.D.” and “L.A. Law.”
After taking a break from acting in the 1990s to help raise his family, he returned to TV in 2014, starring in the movie “Expecting Amish,” about a young woman on the verge of joining the Amish church when a trip to Hollywood gives her a glimpse of the world beyond.
Tragedy struck Ely in his later years when his wife, Valerie Lundeen Ely, was stabbed to death in 2019 at the couple’s Santa Barbara home. After police responded to a “family disturbance” call at the home, officers shot and killed Ely’s only son.
Police claimed Cameron killed his mother.
Ely filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department and claimed that Cameron had his hands up when sheriffs shot him.
Ely lost his case in 2022 after a jury ruled law enforcement’s “use of deadly force against Cameron Ely was justified and lawful under the circumstances.”
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