The Lonesome Dove cast members who have died: a list that now includes Gus himself
When Lonesome Dove aired on CBS over four nights in February 1989, its cast looked like a Mount Rushmore of American acting. Thirty-seven years later, the miniseries is still widely called the greatest Western ever made for television — and the list of stars we've lost keeps growing.
In February 2026, it grew by the biggest name of all.
Gus is gone
Robert Duvall, who played retired Texas Ranger Augustus "Gus" McCrae, died on February 15, 2026, at his home in Middleburg, Virginia. He was 95. His wife Luciana announced the news on Facebook:
"Bob passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by love and comfort," she wrote in February 2026.
Duvall earned a Golden Globe win and an Emmy nomination for the role, and never stopped calling it his favorite — over The Godfather, over Apocalypse Now, over his Oscar- winning turn in Tender Mercies.
The full list
- Robert Duvall (Gus McCrae) — died February 15, 2026, at 95.
- Robert Urich (Jake Spoon) — died April 16, 2002, at 55, after a battle with synovial sarcoma, a rare cancer he spent his final years raising awareness about.
- Frederic Forrest (Blue Duck) — died June 23, 2023, at 86. His outlaw remains one of the most chilling villains in Western screen history.
- Glenne Headly (Elmira Johnson) — died June 8, 2017, at 62, from complications of a pulmonary embolism.
- Timothy Scott (Pea Eye Parker) — died June 14, 1995, at 57, of lung cancer. He was the only actor to reprise his role in 1993's Return to Lonesome Dove.
- Gavan O'Herlihy (Dan Suggs) — died September 15, 2021, at 70.
- Frederick Coffin (Big Zwey) — died July 31, 2003, at 60.
Who's still with us
Plenty of the cattle drive rides on. Tommy Lee Jones (Woodrow Call), Danny Glover (Deets), Diane Lane (Lorena), Anjelica Huston (Clara), Rick Schroder (Newt), Chris Cooper (July Johnson), Steve Buscemi, D.B. Sweeney, Barry Corbin, and William Sanderson are all still living — a remarkable roster for a production nearly four decades old.
The role Duvall never let go of
Duvall spent 16 weeks filming Lonesome Dove and read Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer-winning novel in ten days before shooting. In a video posted to his own Facebook page in his final years, he called playing Gus "one of the highlights of my life, completely."