Originally appeared on E! Online
The cast of "Little House on the Prairie" is in mourning.
Jack Lilley, who played multiple roles on the classic TV series in the '70s and '80s, has died, his granddaughter confirmed. He was 91.
"The man who started it all. Figuratively and literally," Savannah Dawn Lilley wrote on Instagram March 20. "The card shark, the horse trader, the wrangler, the man with a story for everything, he always knew someone who could help if he couldn’t, known to many as friend, storyteller, joker, and a heck of a horseman, and his favorite, PAPA."
"Jack went to be with his bride, Irene, tonight," she continued. "He just couldn’t bear another second without her. You left one heck of a mark on this world, Papa. Your laugh and spark in your eyes when you saw the ones you loved will stay with us forever."
Lilley's "Little House" alum Melissa Gilbert also honored her costar with a heartfelt social media tribute.
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"The little house family has lost one of our own," she wrote on Instagram March 21. "He also happened to be one of my favorite people on the planet."
"He taught me how to ride a horse when I was just a wee little thing," Gilbert continued. "He was so patient with me. He never said no when I would bound up to him squealing, 'Can we go ride? Please, please, please?'"
The actress made sure to note his acting prowess, too.
"Aside from being Victor French’s photo double, he was featured prominently in many different roles on Little House," she added. "You can also see his absolute brilliance in the film 'Blazing Saddles.'"
Gilbert recounted a serendipitous moment around 2002 when she started filming a pilot for a potential new TV series, having no idea that Jack would also be part of it.
"My first day on set was surreal," she wrote. "I walked to the set itself and before I could even focus I heard a familiar voice holler, 'Hey Halfpint, you old rat-ass!!!' It was Jack. He was our wrangler for that pilot and by his side was Denny Allen, who had been our wrangler on Little House. In that instant, I knew I was home."
"Jack always felt like home to me," the actress added. "He lived quite a life. I am so lucky that he was my friend."
