Ralph Waite, patriarch of ‘The Waltons’, dead

Ralph Waite was John Walton Sr. on the CBS drama series for nine seasons from 1972 till 1981. ‘The Waltons’ won many Emmys and Golden Globe Awards. The series told the story about John and his wife Olivia and their seven children during the Depression years and World War II. After ‘The Waltons’ was canceled he made his appearance among others in ‘Murder One’, ‘Carnivàle’ and ‘Roots’. Now he played the grandfather of Booth in ‘Bones’, and the father of Gibbs in ‘NCIS’. He also had a recurring role in ‘Days of Our Live’ as Father Matt.

Michael Learned, who played his wife Olivia in ‘The Waltons’, lovingly stated: “He was my spiritual husband, we loved each other for more than 40 years. He was a loving mentor and role model for an entire generation.”
Executive producers Hart Hanson and Stephen Nathan (‘Bones’) issued the following statement: “All of us at ‘Bones’ mourn the loss of Ralph Waite. We loved having him on set and in many ways his character was the moral center of our show as Booth’s plainspoken, loving, war hero grandfather. The entire ‘Bones’ family sends condolences to his family and loved ones.”

While the cast and crew of ‘NCIS’ issued this remembrance: “Everyone at ‘NCIS’ is deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague Ralph Waite. Ralph was family to us, a tremendous talent and a very special man. We truly cherish the time we had with him. Our hearts and prayers go out to his loved ones.”

Ralph Waite was married three times and had three daughters with his first wife. The actor Liam Waite (‘Ghost Whisperer’) was his stepson. Ralph Waite was 85 years old.