From 1978 to 1981, actor Eric Lawson portrayed the iconic Marlboro Man in print advertisements, conveying the image of rugged masculinity the cigarette industry wanted to project for customers and potential smokers.
This month, Lawson died of lung disease at age 72.
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Lawson died at his San Luis Obispo, Calif., home on Jan. 10 from respiratory failure caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his wife, Susan Lawson, told the Associated Press on Sunday.
He is at least the third former Marlboro Man actor to die of a smoking-related illness, according to the AP. David Millar died of emphysema in 1987, and David McLean died of lung cancer in 1995.
Lawson also played small roles in a host of TV shows including Charlie's Angles, The A-Team and Baywatch for more than three decades, according to the Internet Movie Database.
He reportedly began smoking at age 14, and continued the habit until he was diagnosed with the disease that would eventually kill him. Before his diagnosis, however, Lawson appeared in an anti-smoking ad and an Entertainment Tonight piece on smoking's harmful effects, according to his wife.
In addition to his wife, Lawson is survived by six children, 18 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
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