Hall of Famer, ‘Little House’ star Olsen dies

MSNBC ^ | Mar 11, 2010

[jessduntno]

“Granted....But I don’t tell to many people their momma wears army boots.....”

Heh heh...good point...

[ConservativeMind]

That was on my mind, too.

[madamemayhem]

Do you remember the spin off of Little House? IIRC it was Olsen, and a bunch of kids and a schoolteacher. What the heck was the name of that show?

[Flamenco Lady]

I think it was appropriate to give weight to both of his major careers. Olsen was also an actor that many of us remember. I personally didn't even know he was a football player, because I am not a big football fan. I do, however, remember him from “Little House on the Prairie”. Not everyone is an armchair quarterback!

[oneamericanvoice]

Asbestos was in just about everything back in the day. Vehicle brake lining, ceiling material, flooring, etc. Tuesday, during reflooring at our American Legion post, asbestos was purportedly found. Boy is that going to cost us.

RIP Merlin. Thanks for all the good memories.

[rcrngroup]

A good guy from the last generation! Bye Merlin! RIP!

[stormer]

First of all, I don't get my moral lessons from the television. Second, I come from a family that put down roots in south central Nebraska in the 1870s - I'm pretty familiar with the trials of the frontier, I've been learning about them all of my life.

[Catsrus]

I didn’t say you get your moral lessons from tv. I merely meant the program was high in moral content. The show took place in Minnesota.

[stormer]

You are quite right. He quit playing football so long ago, even many modern fans are not aware of his background. He was truly one of the finest defensive players of all time. By the time his acting career took off, TV was about the last thing I was interested in. I guess I'm just an old fart.

[Rebelbase]

“I don’t think back at the time he was exposed to asbestos anyone was aware of the dangers.”

People were aware of the danger at least by the early 80’s. He was working on NBC sets at that time.

[RichardW]

I was wondering the same thing; when he was exposed to asbestos. My brother actually died from this disease but he was very much exposed to it the 1950s so that was not surprising. I would think just a casual exposure would be unlikely to cause this disease. Sad news.

[cleveland gop]

RIP Merlin Olsen....One of the truly good guys!!!
Great player on the field.
Smooth and informative in front of a mic and a camera.
Probably the most liked person on any set or commercial shoot!!!

His longtime partner on NBC, Dick Enberg must be devestated by the news. He is supposed to call the Pac-10 Championship game for CBS on Saturday night. If he does, I hope CBS gives him the opportunity to remember his friend even if means showing pics of them in NBC stuff.....

[Zman516]

Wow. Sad.

RIP, Mr. Olsen

I attended USU ‘63-’64, a few years after Merlin graduated. One Saturday a few of my friends and I went to a Church gym on campus to shoot a few hoops. Merlin was already there by himself doing the same and invited us to join him. I was dazzled, as this was when he was at his peak of fame with the Ram’s Fearsome Foursome. He was really a nice guy and unpretentious. You’d never have known he was a famous NFL star.

[IYAS9YAS]

Asbestos is not the sole cause of Mesothelioma.

I'm not in any way an expert, but I want the truth to be told. On one side, you have folks claiming asbestos is horrible and causes cancer, on the other side, millions of folks who were exposed to asbestos in myriad forms did not develop cancer.

I've also heard there are a few different forms of asbestos, and that only one variant has the little hook-like fiber that your lungs have a hard time clearing.

It's to the point where I don't trust either side - especially their lawyers.

[mad_as_he$$]

I agree.

[fieldmarshaldj]

“Father Murphy”, which ran from 1981-83. He didn’t play the same character in the show, however, as he did on “Little House.”

[Badabing Badablonde]

Did anyone else on the set get diagnosed with mesothelioma?