Robert Norris, a rancher known for his role as an original "Marlboro Man," died last Sunday at his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was 90.
J.D. Wing, foreman for Norris' Tee Cross Ranch horse program, confirmed his death to USA TODAY. Norris had been in hospice care.
Norris was one of the men featured in Marlboro commercials in the U.S. and Europe, according to his obituary.
"Rather than taking his fame seriously, he enjoyed the adventure," the obituary reads. "Bob regaled his friends with various misadventures during these shoots, often highlighting the fictional world of television with the real world of ranching he actually lived."
Born in Chicago in 1929, Norris never intended to become a Marlboro Man, or even an actor, but he fell into the role.
His son, Bobby Norris, told KKTV that advertisers had seen a photo of his father with his friend, John Wayne, in a newspaper. He fit the role they were looking to fill. When they showed up at his ranch to see if he was interested, he told them to come back the next week and they did — kicking off an acting career that lasted more than a decade.
As for smoking, the Marlboro Man himself was not for it.
He was never a smoker, the obituary says. In fact, he abandoned the campaign after feeling that he was setting a bad example for his own children.
"He always told us kids, 'I don't ever want to see you smoking,' so one of us finally asked, 'If you don't want us smoking, why are you doing cigarette commercials?'" Norris' son told KKTV. "He called up Phillip Morris and quit that day."
Marlboro had him lighting 10 to 20 packs per shoot to get the cigarettes to burn right, Wing explained.
"If there was ever any chance of him smoking those commercials turned him off of it," Wing said. "After the first 50 (cigarettes), he decided he hated those things."
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The Twitter account for actor John Wayne, who died in 1979, sent out a note wishing condolences to Norris' family after his death.
Norris and his wife spent many Thanksgivings with John Wayne and his family at 26 Bar Ranch.
"He was a great man," Wing said, adding that Norris gave him a shot training horses at just 19 years old. "He was a great cowboy himself and always wanting to help the next guy coming up."
USA TODAY has reached out to Phillip Morris for comment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Robert Norris, original Marlboro Man who never actually smoked, has died at age 90
