Gil Gerard, ‘Buck Rogers in the 25th Century’ Star, Dies at 82

Gil Gerard, the American actor who starred as the titular hero in the 1979 NBC sci-fi series “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” died Tuesday after a battle with cancer. He was 82.

Gerard’s death was confirmed by his wife, Janet, in a Facebook post Tuesday evening.

“Early this morning Gil – my soulmate – lost his fight with a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer,” read Janet’s post. “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.”

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Gerard also released his own statement on Facebook Tuesday night, which he asked his wife to share after he died.

“My life has been an amazing journey. 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,” read Gerard’s statement. “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.”

“Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” ran for two seasons from 1979 to 1981. The show, based on the character created by Philip Francis Nowlan in 1928, was first adapted as a made-for-TV movie, which grossed $21 million in its 1979 theatrical debut. Universal and NBC quickly began work on a weekly sci-fi series later that same year. The film was split in half for a two-part series premiere. “Buck Rogers” followed Gerard as Captain William “Buck” Rogers, a 20th-century astronaut who is frozen in space for 504 years and wakes up in the year 2491.

Gerard’s other TV credits include “Sidekicks,” “Nightingales,” “E.A.R.T.H. Force” and “Days of Our Lives.” His more recent film credits include “Space Captain and Callista,” “The Nice Guys” and “Blood Fare.”

Gerard was born in 1943 in Little Rock, Ark. He appeared in commercials and had small roles on several popular ’70s TV shows before getting his break with “Buck Rogers.”