‘Little House on the Prairie’ star Michael Landon did something useful with his life

Shortly before his July 1, 1991 passing, Michael Landon sagaciously mused, “Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.” The accompanying still reveals Landon at the Moscow Circus Opening Night Performance on March 6, 1991, at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. Photography by Ron Galella / WireImage

Michael Landon endures as television’s most popular star. For a staggering 32 consecutive years, you could see Landon emblazoning short-tempered ladies man Little Joe Cartwright on Bonanza, hardworking family man Charles “Pa” Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, or a stubborn angel named Jonathan Smith who was sent down to Earth to help people in need so he could finally receive his wings on Highway to Heaven. In 2004 TV Guide published a list of the 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time. Landon came in at No. 4 with — you guessed it — Little House on the Prairie. Besides acting, he produced, directed, and wrote. He did it all so effortlessly. And on top of that he was a good looking guy who kept smiling in the face of potentially devastating adversity.

His childhood was definitely not easy by any stretch of the imagination. His dad was Jewish, his mom was Irish Catholic, which created a heated family atmosphere. Landon was a bed-wetter, and his mom would hang the wet sheets outside their New Jersey apartment in an attempt to “cure” her son. He would rush home from school and try to take down the sheets before his friends saw them and made fun of him.

Peggy Landon was also mentally ill. Landon would walk into the kitchen and find his mom with her head in the oven and the gas…