Ron Ely, star of 1960s Tarzan TV series, died at 86. He retired in 2001 (final role: 2014’s Expecting Amish).
Tragedy struck in 2019: his wife Valerie Lundeen Ely, 62—former flight attendant, Miss Airline International 1980, Miss Florida USA 1981—was stabbed to death at their Santa Barbara home by son Cameron, 30. Deputies shot and killed Cameron at the scene after deeming him a threat.
Married 35 years, the couple had three children: Kirsten, Kaitland (grandson born 2018), and Cameron. Ely sued the sheriff’s office in 2020, claiming wrongful death.
