Lost in Space and General Hospital Actor Mark Goddard Dead at 87

Mark Goddard, best known for his roles in Lost in space and General Hospital, died. He was 87 years old.

In a statement posted on the Facebook page, Goddard’s wife, Evelyn Pezzulich, revealed that the actor had been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and died on Tuesday in Hingham, Massachusetts, while in the hospital.

“I am sorry to tell you that my wonderful husband passed away on October 10th,” she began. “A few days after he celebrated his 87th birthday [on July 24], was hospitalized for pneumonia. We were hopeful when he was transferred to a rehabilitation center, but then the doctors discovered that he was in the final stages of pulmonary fibrosis, for which there is no cure.”

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“He received excellent care at Pat Roche’s wonderful hospice home and was able to die peacefully and with dignity,” Pezzulich continued. “His children and I had a chance to express our love and say goodbye. I will never know how I deserved to spend 33 years alone with such a sweet, gentle, handsome man who made me laugh so often.”

Mark Goddard in ‘Lost in Space’.

Cinematheque/Shutterstock

In the comments section, Goddard’s Lost in space Costar Billy Mumy recalled his last interaction with the late actor and their touching last words.

“RIP Mark Goddard,” he wrote. “My truly beloved friend and brother for 59 years. I knew this was coming for the past few months. Shortly after a great phone conversation he and I had late on his 87th birthday in July, I became aware that I would most likely never see or speak to him again . The last words we exchanged were ‘I love you’.”

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“Mark was a really good actor. Naturally gifted as well as trained. I know he sometimes felt constrained by the camper frame that ‘LIS’ [Lost in Space] it was holding him back inside, but he also embraced it and loved it,” he continued.

Goddard became a household name with his legendary role as Major Don West in the intergalactic show. The series, which aired from 1965 to 1968, followed the fantastical adventures of the Robinson family, space colonists on Jupiter 2 piloted by Goddard’s character.

Per The Hollywood ReporterGoddard recalled seeing himself in his silver llama space suit for the first time in his 2008 memoir. To space and back, writing, “I took a deep breath, took a second look at the picture of a baked potato wrapped in aluminum, and said to myself, ‘How the hell did that happen?'”

Mark Goddard as Major Don West in ‘Lost in Space’.

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In the 1998 feature adaptation of the series, Major Don West was portrayed by Matt LeBlanc, and was later taken over by Ignacio Serricchio in the 2018 Netflix reboot.

Tracking your time on Lost in spaceGoddard also appeared on General Hospital as Derek Barrington in a span of 11 episodes from 1985 to 1986.

His other credits include One life to live, Doctors, Detectives, Johnny Ringo and blue detective, according to his IMDb page.

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In addition to his wife, Evelyn, Goddard is survived by his daughter, producer Melissa Goddard.

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Source: HIS Education