Eric Lawson is the third cowboy model for the brand to succumb to lung disease.
Eric Lawson, the actor who portrayed the “Marlboro Man” in the iconic 1970s cigarette ads, has passed away at the age of 72. He died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — a disease that makes it progressively more difficult to breathe over time — which is primarily caused by cigarette smoking.
Lawson portrayed the ruggedly handsome cowboy in Marlboro’s print ads in between 1978 and 1981. The Marlboro Man, which ultimately helped equate smoking with masculinity, was an extremely successful advertising icon that helped establish Marlboro as the best-selling cigarette brand in the world. The company’s print ads helped maintain its hold on the market even after cigarette ads were banned from TV in 1971.
Lawson became a smoker at just 14 years old, according to his wife Susan. Later in life, he appeared in an anti-smoking ad and discussed the negative health effects on smoking on “Entertainment Tonight.” But he was never able to quit. “He knew the cigarettes had a hold on him. He knew, yet he still couldn’t stop,” Susan Lawson told the Associated Press (AP).
Several other actors who portrayed the Marlboro Man have also died of smoking-related illnesses. David McLean died of emphysema in 1995, and Wayne McLaren died of lung cancer in 1992. McLaren became an outspoken anti-smoking advocate in the years before his death, and according to his mother, some of his last words were, “Take care of the children. Tobacco will kill you, and I am living proof of it.” ? (AP)