DALLAS STAR TRAGIC TORMENT

In one of Hollywood's most tragic love stories, Dallas star  Larry Hagman is killing himself to death caring for his longtime wife Maj who's in  the final stages of Alzheimer's.

Life has become a daily struggle for Hagman as he continues his exhausting work as his wife's primary caretaker, say insiders.

Exclusive ENQUIRER photos reveal that even the simple task of gassing up his Prius seems to be a struggle for the 78-year-old actor, who appeared frail and weak during a Jan. 11 stop at a Brentwood, Calif., gas station.

An eyewitness told The ENQUIRER: "Larry grimaced and got out of the car as if he were in pain. He battled with the pump - he seemed to struggle to see the numbers on it.

"It was sad. You'd never have known this was the same guy who played scheming J.R. Ewing on Dallas."

Pals say the beloved star - who survived cirrhosis of the liver and a liver transplant - does not have a second to focus on his own aches and pains.

"Today, life for Larry is all about his wife Maj," a longtime family friend told The ENQUIRER.

"He's her full-time caregiver and is doing his best to help her deal with her Alzheimer's."

As The ENQUIRER previously reported, Larry vowed he'd personally care for the woman
he married in 1954 - even selling his beloved Santa Barbara ranch and moving to a much smaller Santa Monica home so Maj could be closer to her doctors.

"Half the time Larry is an emotional mess," the friend confided. "Apart from a nurse coming in every three days, he is pretty much on his own.

"Maj's condition gets to him. I'm sure there are days he says he wishes God would help him. He knows he must be there for Maj every morning."

Larry rarely sees old friends, but when he talks to them by phone, he remains adamant about personally caring for Maj and not putting her in a nursing home, said the source.

Those close to the amazingly devoted husband worry about him, says the source.

"He's suffering. The days are long. He's exhausted and not eating right. It's a very depressing situation.

"Larry recently told a pal, 'I can't kid myself. I see the sadness in her eyes. But I just can't let go of her. I want to be with her till the end.'