Peter Fonda Dead, Actor & Counter-Culture Icon Passed Away At 79
Legendary actor Peter Fonda has died at the age of 79. The Hollywood icon had been dealing with an undisclosed ailment in recent days, said a representative who confirmed his passing.
TMZ broke the news Friday afternoon that Fonda had just passed away. So far, few additional details regarding the cause of his death are known. Apparently, this undisclosed ailment he had been dealing with had caused multiple hospital stays recently.
Peter was the brother of famed actress Jane Fonda, as well as the son of Henry Fonda. As the actor’s IMDb page details, his mother was socialite Frances Seymour Brokaw.
Fonda was born in New York City and first hit the Broadway stage in 1961. His movie career started in 1963 with a role in The Victors. Peter was perhaps best known for his involvement with the movie Easy Rider, the 1969 film that garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The actor produced, co-wrote, and starred in the film, which also featured fellow acting legends Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper.
Peter was married three times over the years. He was married to his first wife, Susan Brewer, from 1961 to 1974, and they had two children together. His second marriage, to Portia Rebecca “Becky” Crockett, lasted from 1975 to 2011, and he married his third wife Margaret (Parky) DeVogelaere in 2011.
Peter Fonda, #EasyRider architect and counter-cultural icon, dies at 79 https://t.co/lyDqQ8Pycn pic.twitter.com/UBDDWBnA3e
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 16, 2019
Fonda’s two children are Justin and Bridget, both of whom have developed careers in the entertainment industry as well. Justin’s work was primarily behind the scenes, while Bridget starred in a number of movies during her younger years.
While Fonda had a long career in Hollywood, he had a home in Paradise Valley, Montana, and primarily lived there for the past several decades. A number of years ago, Architectural Digest did a profile on the property and noted that Peter’s second wife Becky bought it without him even seeing it at first.
The property had an old two-bedroom log cabin on it along with a barn and some outbuildings, plus a gorgeous view and a lot of land. The couple made it their own and lived there year-round.
'Easy Rider' at 50: How they put together that groundbreaking soundtrack https://t.co/t54IA4taNz
— Peter Henry Fonda (@iamfonda) August 9, 2019
Despite dealing with an ongoing illness in recent months, Fonda was still active on Twitter. His last tweet was posted a week ago and it was about the 50th anniversary of Easy Rider. As Rolling Stone has detailed, a big event to celebrate the anniversary of the film is slated to take place in September.
There is no doubt that Peter Fonda will be missed, both personally and professionally. Fans are taking to social media to mourn the news of his passing, as well as to celebrate the many achievements in a career that spanned decades.
