Which Little House on the Prairie cast members have died?
Little House on the Prairie ran on NBC for nine seasons, from 1974 to 1983, plus three TV movies — and more than 50 years after its premiere, the cast list has grown bittersweet. Many of Walnut Grove's most familiar faces are no longer with us, including some losses as recent as 2024 and 2025.
The cast members who have passed away
- Michael Landon (Charles Ingalls) — the show's star, creator, and producer died of pancreatic cancer on July 1, 1991, at just 54, three months after revealing his diagnosis.
- Victor French (Isaiah Edwards) — died of lung cancer on June 15, 1989. He appeared in over 50 episodes and directed 18 more.
- Kevin Hagen (Doc Baker) — died in July 2005 after an esophageal cancer diagnosis the year before.
- Dabbs Greer (Reverend Alden) — died in 2007 at 90, after battling kidney and heart disease. He played the reverend in 76 episodes.
- Merlin Olsen (Jonathan Garvey) — the NFL star turned actor died in 2010 at 69, a year after a mesothelioma diagnosis.
- Richard Bull (Nels Oleson) — died in 2014 at 89.
- Katherine MacGregor (Harriet Oleson) — died November 13, 2018, at 93.
- Shannen Doherty (Jenny Wilder) — died July 13, 2024, after years of living with cancer.
- Patty Maloney (Alice Bates) — died March 31, 2025, at 89, in hospice care in Florida.
- Jack Lilley — the veteran stuntman and rider died in March 2025 at 91.
The loss that hit hardest
Landon's death remains the defining one. He was the quarterback of the whole operation — star, writer, director, producer — and his co-stars have spent three decades saying so. Melissa Gilbert, who played his on-screen daughter Laura, still marks the anniversary of his death publicly, and told People in February 2025 that "there's so much that I learned" from him.
MacGregor's passing in 2018 prompted a similar outpouring. Gilbert said at the time:
"The thing people outside of our prairie family didn't know, was how loving and nurturing she was with the younger cast."
Quite the contrast with Harriet Oleson, the sharpest tongue in Walnut Grove.
Who from the main cast is still alive?
Plenty of the core family, thankfully. Melissa Gilbert (Laura), Karen Grassle (Caroline), Melissa Sue Anderson (Mary), Alison Arngrim (Nellie), and Dean Butler (Almanzo) are all still with us — and several remain active on the fan-convention circuit, where the show's 50th anniversary was celebrated in 2024.
For the record: Landon's influence outlived him in casting, too. Both Victor French and Richard Bull reunited with him on Highway to Heaven after Walnut Grove closed its doors.