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Heartbreak as Little House Star Passes Away at 91: Melissa Gilbert’s Emotional Tribute

BBG News

An actor from the popular TV series Little House On The Prairie has died.

The show’s main star Melissa Gilbert shared the sad news on Instagram on Friday morning.

In a heartfelt message, an actress shared that the small household community is mourning the loss of one of its members. Jack Lilley, who had reached the age of ninety-one, has sadly passed away.

‘He also happened to be one of my favorite people on the planet.

He showed me the art of horseback riding when I was quite young and small. His patience was immense as he guided me through this new experience. Whenever I eagerly approached him with excitement, begging to ride, his answer was always a kind affirmation.

Little House On The Prairie aired from 1974 until 1983.

This drama series is centered around the exciting tales of the Ingalls family, who were farmers living in Walnut Grove, Minnesota during the 1870s, as depicted in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book collection.

Beyond merely serving as Victor French’s stand-in for photographs, he also made significant appearances in various characters on Little House.

‘You can also see his absolute brilliance in the film Blazing Saddles,’ noted the star.

Around 2002, I was fortunate enough to appear in a western TV pilot for ABC titled “Then Came Jones,” which was produced by Chris Brancato and Bert Salke. My friend Sean Patrick Flanery starred in this production, while Mary Elizabeth Winstead made her acting debut playing my on-screen daughter.

‘It was a joy to shoot and I was so bummed when it didn’t get picked up.

Everything seemed incredibly coincidental. Our initial re-reading happened at Paramount Studios, where we filmed Little House for the first four years. Notably, this occurred on Halloween, which happens to be Michael Landon’s birthday. On that same day, I discovered that we would be filming at Big Sky Ranch, the very place where we had shot Little House.

Experiencing my initial day at the filming location felt like a dreamy, familiar yet unfamiliar experience. I went through having my hair styled, makeup applied, dressing up, fastening my corset, and putting on my boots – quite an unusual sense of déjà vu.

Later on, I strolled towards the actual location, and just as I was about to get a clear view, a well-known voice bellowed, “Hey Shorty, you aging scoundrel!” in my direction.

Jack was the one we had as our wrangler during the pilot. Accompanying him was Denny Allen, who had previously served as our wrangler on Little House.

‘In that instant, I knew I was home.

Melissa added that Jack always felt like home to her.

* He had quite an extraordinary existence. I feel incredibly fortunate to have him as my friend. My deepest sympathies and prayers are with his family, particularly Clint (Burkey) Lilley. 🙏🏼 @stuntbagdrag

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* He led a very vibrant life. I consider myself extremely blessed to have been his friend. My heartfelt condolences and thoughts go out to his family, especially Clint (Burkey) Lilley. ❤️ Prayers up, @stuntbagdrag

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* He lived a truly remarkable life. I feel incredibly fortunate to have him as my friend. My deepest sympathies and prayers are with his family, particularly Clint (Burkey) Lilley. May peace be with you, @stuntbagdrag

‘Oh Jack….sweet prince…may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

‘Love always, Your Halfpint.’

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2025-03-21 17:50

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