‘Magnum, P.I.’ Actor John Hillerman Dead At 84

Fans from around the globe will say goodbye to an 80s classic Magnum, P.I. character named "Higgins". He is the character portrayed by Hollywood Actor John Hillerman who has died at the age of 84. His role has become so popular that the same character has appeared in episodes of other classic 80s hit shows such as Murder, She Wrote and Simon & Simon.

Hillerman's death has been announced on social media by his rep Lori De Waal. He succumbed in his own home in Houston,Texas due to natural causes.

Hillerman's Journey From Texas To Hollywood

Born in 1932, Hillerman's parents were gas station owners at a quaint Texan town called Denison. As a young boy, he grew up aspiring to become an opera singer. He took trips to Dallas to the Metropolitan Opera to watch its productions. Eventually, he immersed himself in Journalism while attending university.

To support himself, he took a job in maintenance at the United States Air Force. This led him to swiftly go up the ranks and became a sergeant. He later got bored with this chosen career. He decided to go into acting as a way of meeting new people and expanding his horizons.

Hillerman left the air force and moved to New York City to become a professional theatre actor. He later realized, after doing over a hundred lead roles in plays that he was broke and remained a starving artist. Taking the huge plunge, he headed straight to Hollywood.

Film And TV Roles

While in Hollywood, he struggled to land roles for two years until he got his luck by getting cast in cinematic gems such as The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon.

In the 70s, Hillerman was acting in a number of TV comedy shows including a very notable role as actress Betty White's wise-cracking husband in The Betty White Show.

Certified Magnum, P.I. Star

After almost three decades of perseverance and hard work, HIllerman finally got the biggest break of his acting career. He starred alongside Hollywood superstar Tom Selleck as the eccentric, stuffy British man "Jonathan Higgins". The late actor's expertise in playing snooty characters cemented his solid status in Hollywood — beloved, admired and respected by his peers.

Hillerman's nephew and Texas criminal lawyer, Chris Tritico mourns the death of his uncle John. "He had an outstanding sense of humor and was one of the most well-read people I ever met. You couldn't play Scrabble with him," said Tritico.