Ex-"Marlboro Man" dies of CPD at age of 72

[auditor0007]

72 isn't such a bad age to die. That's how old my wife's father was when he died and he never smoked a day in his life.

Yeah, but I'll bet he didn't smell and get all mega-wrinkly and cough like his lungs were coming out.

We all die. It's not so much about how long we live but how well we live. Most smokers do not live well in their ladder years. That is when most of them wish they had not smoked. The thing is, quitting at any age can be beneficial. I've know people who quit at 70 and lived much better lives after quitting.

 

[auditor0007]

Ex-Marlboro man dies from smoking-related disease

Eric Lawson, who portrayed the rugged Marlboro man in cigarette ads during the late 1970s, has died. He was 72.

Lawson died Jan. 10 at his home in San Luis Obispo of respiratory failure due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, his wife, Susan Lawson said Sunday.

Lawson was an actor with bit parts on such TV shows as "Baretta" and "The Streets of San Francisco" when he was hired to appear in print Marlboro ads from 1978 to 1981. His other credits include "Charlie's Angels," ''Dynasty" and "Baywatch." His wife said injuries sustained on the set of a Western film ended his career in 1997.

A smoker since age 14, Lawson later appeared in an anti-smoking commercial that parodied the Marlboro man and an "Entertainment Tonight" segment to discuss the negative effects of smoking. Susan said her husband was proud of the interview, even though he was smoking at the time and continued the habit until he was diagnosed with COPD.

"He knew the cigarettes had a hold on him," she said. "He knew, yet he still couldn't stop."

Kismet. Simply Kismet.

^^^that^^^

It's very difficult to stop. I've known people who laid a pack of cigarettes down and never smoked again, and said they didn't miss it or have any desire to light up. I've known far more people who said they'd give their left nut to be able to stop.

The key to quitting is to wrap your arms around your new life as a non-smoker, and to take advantage of all the things you can do after giving up smoking. Those who just try to quit and end up eating a lot more and gaining weight, well they tend to become depressed and do not see quitting as a positive thing, so they start smoking again. When I quit, I started running and exercising. Three months after quitting I ran my first 5K, and I ran it in a decent time. I also lost 17 pounds over those first three months because I was eating healthier and exercising.

 

[Politico]

73 is old. An old man died.

It's old in what way? 93 is old. My father is 76 and still works close to full-time. My mother is 82. She's had some battles but she's still hanging in there. My father is still on top of his game mentally and he is doing okay physically. I know quite a few in their 70's who are in fantastic shape and look like they are in their 50's. 70's is old for lifelong smokers but not so old for non-smokers.

Old as in the median life expectancy is 79. Median meaning he was on the high side, So 95 is not old for anyone much less smokers. It is far beyond it. And anyone who reaches that age is in the extreme minority.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

73 is old. An old man died.

Said the smoker.

No, 73 is not old. When I was younger, I thought the same thing and for couch-potato smokers, 73 is close to dead. But really, there's no reason why a 73yo has to be old.

Its a choice.

Its YOUR choice.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

72 isn't such a bad age to die. That's how old my wife's father was when he died and he never smoked a day in his life.

Yeah, but I'll bet he didn't smell and get all mega-wrinkly and cough like his lungs were coming out.

You have a very good point.

We all hafta go but why be miserable, sick, in and out of hospitals, drugs, coughing, trying to breathe, sleep sitting up, can't even walk up a flight of stairs?

Why pay a mega-corporation to make you sick?

Why not use that money to travel or do something else you enjoy more than coughing and hacking every morning?

 

[Luddly Neddite]

72 isn't such a bad age to die. That's how old my wife's father was when he died and he never smoked a day in his life.

Yeah, but I'll bet he didn't smell and get all mega-wrinkly and cough like his lungs were coming out.

73 is old. An old man died.

It's old in what way? 93 is old. My father is 76 and still works close to full-time. My mother is 82. She's had some battles but she's still hanging in there. My father is still on top of his game mentally and he is doing okay physically. I know quite a few in their 70's who are in fantastic shape and look like they are in their 50's. 70's is old for lifelong smokers but not so old for non-smokers.

I'm 67, spouse is 75. We both lift weights, do other exercise, travel, active sex life and feel good. We both have sickly family members who eat meat, smoke, diabetes, miserable. If any of them did want to have sex, they'd have to use Viagra to do it!

Maybe I'll die tomorrow but why not do what you can to feel good while you're alive?

 

[auditor0007]

72 isn't such a bad age to die. That's how old my wife's father was when he died and he never smoked a day in his life.

Yeah, but I'll bet he didn't smell and get all mega-wrinkly and cough like his lungs were coming out.

73 is old. An old man died.

It's old in what way? 93 is old. My father is 76 and still works close to full-time. My mother is 82. She's had some battles but she's still hanging in there. My father is still on top of his game mentally and he is doing okay physically. I know quite a few in their 70's who are in fantastic shape and look like they are in their 50's. 70's is old for lifelong smokers but not so old for non-smokers.

I'm 67, spouse is 75. We both lift weights, do other exercise, travel, active sex life and feel good. We both have sickly family members who eat meat, smoke, diabetes, miserable. If any of them did want to have sex, they'd have to use Viagra to do it!

Maybe I'll die tomorrow but why not do what you can to feel good while you're alive?

My saying is that it's not how long you live but how well you live. I quit smoking and began running and lifting weights because I want the second half of my life to be one where I am healthy and feeling well, so that I can do the things that I enjoy, and feel good doing them. If I make it to 100 or die at 75, I want to enjoy the last part of my life. By taking good care of my body, I'm giving myself a better opportunity to live a longer life and to live it well at the same time.