Jon-Erik Hexum, a rising Hollywood star and TV heartthrob, died at just 26 after accidentally shooting himself in the head with a prop gun while filming the CBS series Cover Up on October 12, 1984. The actor, who was playing CIA agent Mac Harper, reportedly became frustrated and stressed during production, according to his then-girlfriend, actress E. G. Daily.
A Promising Career Cut Short
Hexum grew up in New Jersey before moving to New York and then Los Angeles to pursue acting and modeling. He landed his first major role in 1982, playing a time-traveller in the NBC series Voyagers! Bigger roles followed, including appearing alongside Joan Collins in the made-for-TV film The Making of a Male Model, and he secured his feature film debut with The Bear.
In a 1984 interview with the Akron-Beacon Journal, Hexum said: "I've always had the Rocky mentality and I believe in taking care of myself. And it's good for my career, too."
The Fatal Accident
While shooting the seventh episode, titled Golden Opportunity, at 20th Century Fox, Hexum's character was required to shoot himself with a .44 Magnum revolver loaded with cartridges. The actor was handed a real firearm with blanks. Production delays left him increasingly frustrated, according to People magazine.
When told of more hold-ups, Hexum raised the prop gun to his head and playfully asked: "Can you believe this c***?" before pulling the trigger. The blank cartridge discharged, and the paper wad inside was driven into his head, sending a coin-sized fragment of bone into his brain and causing catastrophic internal bleeding.
Hexum was rushed to hospital, having lost several pints of blood en route. He underwent five hours of emergency surgery at Beverly Hills Medical Center and was pronounced dead six days later.
Legacy of Organ Donation
Daily said: "He was such a big man. So when I heard he got hurt, I never thought it would have been life-threatening, in a million years."
As a registered organ donor, Hexum's heart, kidneys, corneas, and skin were donated. His corneas went to a 66-year-old man and a young girl, his skin helped a three-year-old boy with serious burns, and one kidney saved the life of a five-year-old boy, according to The New York Post. His heart was given to Navy SEAL and Purple Heart recipient Michael Washington.
Washington told West 57th: "Because of this man, I'm alive today, so it becomes real personal." He added: "What they cared about was giving the organ to help a family, and seeing someone survive. It gave an opportunity for my two kids to still have a father."
CBS acknowledged the tragedy on-screen, posting: "They say when a star dies, its light continues to shine across the universe for millennia. Jon-Erik Hexum died last month, but he will always leave a bright light in our lives."
