Known for playing the son of Chuck Connors on the TV show The Rifleman, Johnny Crawford passed away Thursday at the age of 75.
Crawford received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor for his role, he was just 13 at the time. He was also a Mouseketeer on the first season of The Mikey Mouse Club. His career would go on to include roles in The Big Valley, Hawaii Five-O, and Rawhide.
Acting was not his only career, however. He also had a recording contract and his song “Cindy’s Birthday” reached no. 8 on the Billboard charts in 1962.
He received an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2019 and would later contract both COVID-19 and pneumonia.
My dear friend #JohnnyCrawford just passed away. I pray for his wife Charlotte as she was by his side. Johnny was a real cowboy and will be greatly missed. He was an original Mickey Mouse Club member and played the son on The Rifleman. pic.twitter.com/oNKeC5Ouac
— Scott Baio (@ScottBaio) April 30, 2021
In a statement posted online, “It is with great sadness and heaviness of heart that the John Crawford Legacy team announce the passing of Johnny Crawford. He passed away peacefully this evening, April 29, 2021 with Charlotee, his wife, by his side.”