The actor died on Tuesday following a battle with cancer
Gil Gerard, who starred in the sci-fi series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, died at the age of 82.
His wife, Janet, confirmed his death in a Facebook post Tuesday night. “Early this morning Gil – my soulmate – lost his fight with a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer,” read Janet’s statement. “From the moment when we knew something was wrong to his death this morning was only days. No matter how many years I got to spend with him it would have ever been enough. Hold the ones you have tightly and love them fiercely.”
Gerard played Captain William “Buck” Rogers — an astronaut who is frozen for 504 years in space and revived in the year 2491. The made-for-TV movie grossed $21 million at the U.S. box office in 1979, leading to Universal creating a weekly series later that year — which ran on NBC for two seasons between September 1979 and April 1981.
The actor appeared in numerous films and TV features throughout his career including Space Captain and Callista, The Nice Guys, E.A.R.T.H. Force, and Days of Our Lives.
In his own statement, released by his wife following his death, Gerard began by writing, “If you are reading this, then Janet has posted it as I asked her to My life has been an amazing journey.”
He continued, “The opportunities I’ve had, the people I’ve met and the love I have given and received have made my 82 years on the planet deeply satisfying. My journey has taken me from Arkansas to New York to Los Angeles, and finally, to my home in North Georgia with my amazing wife, Janet, of 18 years. It’s been a great ride, but inevitably one that comes to a close as mine has. Don’t waste your time on anything that doesn’t thrill you or bring you love. See you out somewhere in the cosmos.”