Star of Hit ’70s NBC Show Dies of Cancer: Randolph Mantooth Was 80

Actor Randolph Mantooth passed away earlier this month, according to his brother.

Mantooth, whose long career included a major role on NBC’s Emergency!, “died peacefully” on July 9. Per a TMZ report citing Donald Mantooth, the late actor suffered from “a variety of cancers” in his final years, including throat cancer.

His place of death was Ventura, California, at an undisclosed hospice facility.

He’s best known for playing John Gage on Emergency!, a paramedic drama that paved the way for decades of first responder dramas like the current ABC hit 9-1-1. The show was a spinoff of Dragnet/Adam-12, was a huge hit for NBC in the ’70s, spawning seven seasons, multiple TV movies and a children’s cartoon series, Emergency +4.

Montooth reprised his role as Gage in that animated program, as well as in crossover episodes of Adam-12 and Sierra.

After his time on Emergency!, Mantooth would have a steady career as a guest star on multiple hit programs, including Sons of Anarchy, ER, Criminal Minds, Baywatch, Dallas, Fantasy Island, Charlie’s Angels, The Fall Guy, Diagnosis Murder, Ghost Whisperer and Walker, Texas Ranger.

He also had big runs on the soap operas As the World Turns, The City and Loving.