TV legend Glen A. Larson, creator of ‘Magnum, P.I.’, dies at 77
Glen A. Larson, the successful writer-producer behind classic TV series like Magnum, P.I., Battlestar Galactica, and Knight Rider, has died. He was 77.
According to a statement his son James made to The Hollywood Reporter, Larson died of esophageal cancer while at the UCLA medical center in Santa Monica on Friday night.
Larson’s career was a long and storied one—initially a singer in 50s pop quartet The Four Preps (watch a clip here), he broke into the industry on hit shows like The Fugitive and It Takes a Thief. He would become a prolific creator in the ’70s and ’80s; in addition to the aforementioned dramas, he brought to the tube such series as Alias Smith and Jones, The Six Million Dollar Man (which was based on the novel Cyborg), Switch, Quincy, M.E., The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, B.J. and the Bear, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (based on the late-’20s character), Battlestar spinoff Galactica 1980, The Fall Guy, and Manimal.
Larson is survived by his wife, Jeannie, his brother, Kenneth, and nine children.