This weekend marks the 21st anniversary of the death of
Michael Landon, star of Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, and Highway to
Heaven. This book was written by his step-daughter Cheryl, and is the closest
we will ever get to an autobiography since he was taken from us so young. Cheryl
was a child when Michael married her mother Lynn, and he instantly became a true
father to her. He was with her every step of the way after she was almost
killed in a tragic car accident, and her subsequent drug addition that inspired
his work with Nancy Reagan and the Just Say No campaign. It covers his divorce
of Lynn and
marriage to his third wife Cindy, ending with his devastating death at the age
of 54 after a 3 month battle with pancreatic cancer. This part of the book was
heartwrenching to read.
Michael grew up in a house void of love, but what love he gave
to the world. He wasn’t perfect; he was a flawed human being as we all are in
spite of his public persona. But he left us a legacy of timeless shows that
honor family values, goodness, decency and love…things this country is sorely
lacking in today. Michael was a national treasure; there will never be another
like him.
Unfortunately this book is out of print, and not available
in ebook form. If you ever run across it in a used book store, pick it up and remember
a time when we were all a little more innocent.
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