Dan Haggerty, known for his role as Grizzly Adams, the gentle mountain man with a bear named Ben, passed away in Burbank, Calif., succumbing to spine cancer, according to his friend and manager Terry Bomar. Initially a Hollywood stuntman, Haggerty was roped into acting in a film reshoot about a woodsman and his bear. The movie, based on Charles Sellier Jr.’s novel, “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams,” turned into a hit, earning nearly $30 million. The success led to a TV adaptation in 1977, with Haggerty reprising his role as the nature-loving guardian.

Describing the show, John Leonard from The New York Times noted, “Man and bear hide out in a log cabin, while raccoons, owls, deer, and more commune with nature, evoking a big lump in the throat.” The genial and sentimental series won Haggerty a People’s Choice Award in 1978. Two follow-ups, “Legend of the Wild” (1978/1981) and “The Capture of Grizzly Adams” (1982), extended the character’s journey.