LARRY HAGMAN has bid a sad farewell to his wife of 58 years as he watches her slip away to the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease.
“My Maj is gone – I’ve lost her,” the 81-year-old actor told pals, according to a close friend.
Larry, who’s reprised his success as J.R. Ewing in TNT’s hit new version of the classic TV drama “Dallas,” has finally accepted that Maj “is never coming back,” the friend continued. “She doesn’t always recognize him.”
Larry met the Swedish-born clothing designer while serving in the Air Force in England. They married in 1954 and had two children together.
“It’s been awful for him to watch her slow decline,” the friend confided. “Larry has done everything humanly possible to support her and finally had to accept that his wife is in God’s hands now.”
Maj, 84, was recently hospitalized after breaking a hip and suffering two bouts of pneumonia. After a stay in an assisted care facility, Larry took her home to a Santa Monica, Calif., condominium, where she remains under the care of four full-time caregivers.
“Larry wanted her back in their beachfront condo so she could watch the ocean in her final days,” the friend said. “He knew she’d be happiest there.”
Larry has also suffered his share of health problems. A longtime drinker, he underwent a life-saving liver transplant in 1995 and has battled cancer in the past year. “He never expected to outlive Maj,” added the friend, “but he’s embraced his renewed stardom and is trying to move on.”
