Actor and folk singer Pernell Roberts of Bonanza and Trapper John M.D. fame died in his Malibu California home on January 24, 2010, after battling cancer. Funeral services were held on Monday, January 25.

Born in 1928, Roberts experimented with college and the Marine Corps before finally trying his hand at acting. Appearing in numerous onstage productions, both on and Off-Broadway, it wasn’t until 1959 that he started to make a name for himself. Roberts took on the role of Adam Cartwright, eldest son of Ben Cartwright on Bonanza. After six years on the show, the network decided not to renew his contract, and Roberts was ready to move on.

He took on numerous roles in popular television series like The Odd Couple, The Million Dollar Man and Mission: Impossible before finally taking on the second biggest role of his career: Trapper John, M.D., a role which earned him an Emmy award.

When the show was canceled in 1986, Roberts continued to make the occasional minor appearance in film and television, such as Dr. Elliot Valin in two episodes of Diagnosis Murder. One of his last television appearances was as host on FBI: The Untold Stories.

Roberts is survived by one child and his fourth wife, Eleanor Criswell.