Tarzan star Ron Ely’s tragic final years after son stabbed wife Valerie to death

Actor Ron Ely, who is best known for being the star of the 1960s Tarzan TV series, has died at the age of 86.

His final years were shrouded in tragedy, and his death comes five years after his second wife, Valerie Lundeen Ely, was killed in tragic circumstances at the couple’s home in California.

The former flight attendant was fatally stabbed by their son, Cameron Ely, in the family’s home in Santa Barbara, at the age of 62.

Cameron was fatally shot at the scene by authorities with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

Ron, who retired from acting in 2001 (apart from a brief appearance in TV movie Expecting Amish in 2014), and his wife Valerie were married for 35 years before her death.

The couple had three children together, Kirsten, Kaitland, and Cameron.

Who was Ron Ely’s wife Valerie Lundeen?

Ron Ely’s wife was Valerie Lundeen, a devoted mother who once worked as a flight attendant and won Miss Airline International, a beauty pageant for flight attendants, in 1980.

A year later, Valerie was crowned Miss FloridaUSA in a beauty pageant in 1981, and she would later compete for the title of Miss USA.

Valerie Lundeen sat on Ron Ely's lap at the Third Annual Cathy's Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic.

Her future husband, Ron, also had associations with the world of pageants, having hosted the Miss America competition for two years in a row in 1980 and 1981.

Ron and Valerie got married in 1984 and had three children. The couple became grandparents for the first time in 2018 when their daughter Kaitland gave birth to her first child, a little boy.

Valerie was 62 years old when she was killed.

Related Posts

The McCaughey Septuplets: A Family That Made History

In 1997, Kenny McCaughey and Bobbi McCaughey of Carlisle, Iowa, entered the history books when they welcomed the world’s first surviving set of septuplets. The seven babies—Kenny Jr., Alexis, Natalie, Kelsey,…

What Your Ring Finger Might Symbolize About You

Have you ever taken a quiet moment to truly look at your hands? We rely on them constantly—typing messages, preparing meals, creating art, comforting loved ones. They…

What You Notice First Says More Than You Think

Have you ever caught yourself instantly drawn to a certain shape or pattern without knowing why? The way your eyes move across an image can quietly reflect…

Billionaire’s ‘creepy’ moment with Trump goes viral

A resurfaced clip from a White House press conference has sparked widespread online debate — not about policy or philanthropy, but about the appearance of Susan Dell,…

Supreme Court Appears Poised to Weaken Voting Rights Act

The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to narrow how federal courts enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a move that could significantly reshape redistricting battles…

My Husband of 39 Years Always Kept One Closet Locked – After He Died, I Paid a Locksmith to Open It, and I Wish I Hadn’t

When I married Thomas at nineteen, we were barely more than children pretending to understand adulthood. We had a cramped apartment with peeling paint, mismatched secondhand chairs,…