31st May, 2021
By Muhaimin Olowoporoku
Fans of actor Joe Lara are paying tribute after it emerged that he was among the seven people presumed to have been killed in a plane crash in Tennessee.
He is presumed dead after a press conference on Sunday, where Rutherford County Fire Rescue captain Joshua Sanders said rescue workers were “no longer looking for live victims at this point”.
The 58-year-old, who played the title role in the popular Nineties series Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, died along with his wife, Gwen Shamlin Lara, when a small jet crashed into a lake near the town of Smyrna on Saturday.
JL is famous from his TV days, when he played the king of the jungle between 1996 and 2000 starring as Tarzan for a total of 22 episodes, including a TV movie that came out years prior called “Tarzan in Manhattan” which catapulted him into the role.
He featured in other action/fantasy projects over the years including “Steel Frontier,” “Sunset Heat,” “Gunsmoke: The Last Apache,” “American Cyborg: Steel Warrior” “The Magnificent Seven,” “Baywatch” and “Tropical Heat,” among several others. Lara had 28 acting credits to his name.
He gave up acting in 2002 to pursue a career in country music.
Fans and colleagues of the actor have continued to pay tribute to the late actor upon news of his death.
Rest in peace, Joe Lara, star of one of Cannon's final releases, American Cyborg: Steel Warrior (1994). pic.twitter.com/NS8iY8BT9r
— The Cannon Film Guide (@CannonFilmGuide) May 30, 2021
I just found out Joe Lara died yesterday in a plane crash. Really sad, he was a staple of 90s DTV action movies like American Cyborg and Armstrong.
— Cecil Trachenburg (@GoodBadFlicks) May 30, 2021
https://twitter.com/alexvonmatterh/status/1399192808490217472?s=21
RIP #JoeLara 🙏🏻🙏🏻. He was found dead in unfortunate plane crash. Mainly known for his role in our childhood favourite
"Tarzan: The Epic Adventure".
Deep condolences 🙏🏻💐 pic.twitter.com/sG6BeMix7o— Mantu Bhattacharya (@MantuBhattacha2) May 31, 2021
#Tarzan star Joe Lara and his wife Gwen, a diet guru and founder of the Remnant Fellowship Church, were tragically killed in a plane crash along with 5 others. 💔 https://t.co/57ViJ19tgu pic.twitter.com/pvq6U1lcuw
— E! News (@enews) May 31, 2021