Hollywood lost one of its own.
Jack Lilly passed away Thursday at the age of 91, according to her granddaughter Savannah Dawn Lilly.
A day later, his “Little House of Prairie” co-star Melissa Gilbert, 60, wrote a moving tribute to Lily Instagram.
“The family in the small house lost one of our own. Jack Lily has passed away. He was 91,” Gilbert wrote. “He happened to be one of my favorite people on earth.”
The Safe Harbor alumni recalled her childhood memories with Lily, saying, “He taught me how to ride a horse when it was a little bit of a thing. He was very patient with me.
Throughout Lily's time in the West, which ran from 1974 to 1983, the late star played multiple characters.
“In addition to the double photo of Victor French, he was prominently featured in many different roles in “Little House.” You can also see his absolute glow in the film “The Burning Saddle,” Gilbert continued.
“In 2002 (ISH) I was very pleased to perform in the Western Pilot of ABC, produced by Chris Blankert and Bert Salke starring my fellow Sean Patrick Flannery. (Mary Elizabeth Winstead played the daughter in her first role).
Gilbert was not picked up, but I remember that the pilot was “the joy of shooting.”
“It was all very synchronous. Our first reading was at Paramount Studios, where we filmed “little house” in our first four years,” she shared. “We also had Halloween, Michael Landon's birthday. We also learned that day we'll be filming at Big Sky Ranch, where we filmed Little House.”
Landon, who passed away in 1991 at the age of 54, played Little Joker Twright and Charles Ingalls in “Bonanza” in “Bonanza”. Among many other iconic roles.
Detailing the filming of her first “surreal” day, Gilbert recalls stepping onto the set and hearing “A familiar cry of voice, 'Hey half-pinto, you're an old mouse'!!” It was Jack. He was our Wrangler on that pilot.
As she said, “At that moment I knew I was home.”
“Jack always felt like my house,” added Gilbert. “He had a pretty good life. I'm very fortunate because he was my friend. Ah Jack…
Photographed by his granddaughter, Savannah Dawn Lily. Instagram We share the news after his death with a sincere message.
“The guy who started it all. figurative and literal. Card shark, horse trader, wrangler, guy with all the stories, he's always known who he could help if he wasn't known to many as a friend, storyteller, Joker and his favorite dad,” she wrote Thursday.
“Jack went with his bride, Irene tonight. He couldn't stand another second without her. You left one mark in this world.
She concluded: “Thank you for reaching out to all your family and friends. We'd like to inform you about the service that celebrates Jack Lilly's life.”
