Ron Ely dead: Tarzan star dies aged 86 as daughter shares tribute to ‘one of the greatest men’

TARZAN star Ron Ely has tragically died aged 86.

The legend’s daughter confirmed he passed away peacefully on September 29 in an emotional tribute.

Ely starred in the 1960s TV show Tarzan, portraying Lord of the Jungle.

Tall and musclebound, Ely was the original shirtless, loincloth-wearing character that is still depicted in modern retellings.

Tarzan was a fictional character raised in the African jungle, portrayed in different movies and television series over the years.

Texan actor Ely was offered the gig after former NFL linebacker Mike Henry quit when he was bitten in the jaw by a chimp.

Ely also played the title character in the 1975 action film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze.

He was host of the Miss America pageant in 1980 and 1981 and later married former Miss Florida Valerie Lundeen.

They had three children together – Kirsten, Kaitland and Cameron, and Ely retired from acting in 2001 to focus on his family.

He told the Daily Express in 2013: “Late in life I had a young family.

“I decided to stop acting and work at home, as an author, that way I could be with the kids all through school and be able to attend their sports games and things.”

In 2019, his wife Valerie was found dead at home from multiple stab wounds in a luxury suburb of Santa Barbara, California.

She was killed aged 62 by their son Cameron, who was 30 at the time.

Ely was at home during the incident, when cops fatally shot Cameron at the scene.

His lawyers challenged police reports that Cameron’s shooting was justified, with a statement in 2020 that said: “If he didn’t have a gun or he didn’t have a weapon, what was the basis of shooting him?

“They may have very well thought he was involved in some other activity involving the mom.

“But that’s not a basis to shoot and kill him. You have to have a lawful basis to do that.”

The late actor was born in 1938 in Hereford, Texas, and headed for California after attending University of Texas for a year.

Uploaded on Instagram, daughter Kirsten said: “The world has lost one of the greatest men it has ever known – and I have lost my dad.

“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.”

The tribute featured a slideshow featuring photos of them together throughout the years.

She continued: “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.

“I knew him as my dad – and what a heaven sent honor that has been. To me, he hung the moon.

“My father was my world – and what an incredible world he created. He was strong and protective. He was brilliant and ridiculously funny. He was stoic and sensitive.

“He was dynamic and powerful. He was my role model and inspiration. He was humble and inherently received respect – the respect he so deserved.”

After Tarzan, Ely did several other movies in Europe as well as working on TV shows like The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Wonder Woman, LA Law and Sheena.

In the 1990s, the star played retired Superman on Superboy and a game hunter in the syndicated Tarzan the Hunted.