Jon-Erik Hexum

Hexum described the role as part "Indiana Jones, James Bond, Mr. Magoo, and Superman." According to then girlfriend, actress and singer Elizabeth "E.G." Daily, "He loved living this rich fantasy life. He was a big strong man, looked kind of like a Viking bodybuilder, and he loved to show his strength. He also liked the whole idea of guns and soldiers." Cover Up, which cast him as a soldier of fortune who traveled the globe under the guise of being a male model, provided an outlet for all of Hexum's yearnings.

On October 12, 1984, the cast and crew of Cover Up were filming the seventh episode of the series, "Golden Opportunity", on Stage 17 of the 20th Century Fox lot. One of the scenes filmed that day called for Hexum's character to load blanks into a .44 Magnum handgun. When the scene did not play as the director wanted it to play in the master shot, there was a delay in filming. Hexum became restless and impatient during the delay and began playing around to lighten the mood. Apparently, he had unloaded all but one (blank) round, spun it, and in what would appear to be a game of Russian roulette, at 5:15 p.m., he put the revolver to his right temple and pulled the trigger. Read Less

Cover Up continued production without Hexum's character, Mac Harper, who was said to have been killed in action. Three weeks later, on November 24, Antony Hamilton was introduced as agent Jack Striker, posing as a new member of the modeling team. Hexum's character, Mac, is noticeably absent, said to be on another mission. At the end of the episode, Jack breaks the news that Mac has been killed on the other assignment and would not be coming back. As the tears flowed, the camera panned back, and a memoriam written by Glen Larson appeared onscreen: "They say when a star dies, its light continues to shine across the universe for milleniums.

Jon-Erik Hexum died in October of this year, but his light will continue to brighten our lives forever and ever."

As Cover Up continued to air throughout the winter of 1984-85, ratings held up. But when controversy (completely unrelated to Hexum) again threatened the series, CBS gave up on the show and allowed it to languish. The network then canceled the series after its first season due to mediocre ratings. Read Less