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It's been a rough week for the entertainment industry, with several beloved icons passing away in just a few short days, such as Angus Scrimm, David Bowie, David Margulies and, just yesterday, Alan Rickman. Today, ABC News has confirmed the passing of another beloved entertainer, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams star Dan Haggerty, who passed away early this morning at the age of 74. The actor's manager confirmed his client's passing, after a long battle with cancer.

Dan Haggerty was born Gene Jajonski on November 19, 1941, in Pound, Wisconsin, raised by a family who ran a wildlife animal attraction. During his childhood, he helped raise wild animals such as a black bear that performed tricks, before moving to Southern California to pursue acting. While pursuing his acting career, he was also a bodybuilder on Muscle Beach in Venice, California, which lead to his first film role in 1964's Muscle Beach Party.

First there was the 1974 feature film, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, starring Dan Haggerty as Bostonian turned mountain-man James "Grizzly" Adams, with Don Shanks as Nakoma. James Adams is loosely based on real-life conservationist, John Capen Adams. NBC adapted the successful film as a TV series, also starring Haggerty and Shanks, with the addition of Denver Pyle as Mad Jack. The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams ran on NBC from 1977 to 1978, until it was cancelled. In 1982, NBC brought fans closure with a two-hour TV movie -- featuring the series cast -- The Capture of Grizzly Adams.

Deadline reports that Abrams Artists Agency now represents all licensing, publishing, TV, film, and multimedia rights for the Grizzly Adams franchise. Continue on for more details. Read More…...