Randolph Mantooth, best known for playing firefighter-paramedic Johnny Gage in the TV series Emergency!, has passed away at the age of 80.
The TV star breathed his last on Thursday, July 9, at a hospice facility in Ventura, California.
Randolph’s brother, Donald Mantooth, told THR that the TV icon had been “ill for a number of years and kept getting thinner and thinner.”
Throughout his decades-long career, the actor appeared in several shows, including Adam-12, McCloud, and Marcus Welby, M.D.
However, Randolph rose to fame in 1972 after portraying firefighter-paramedic Johnny Gage in the NBC series, Emergency!.
He co-starred with Kevin Tighe in the show, which ran for six seasons.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Randolph once acknowledged the TV series’ significant influence.
“When you take life-saving services out of the hospital and into the field, the number of lives that are saved is incalculable,” the star said. “The stars just lined up with this show perfectly for a purpose, for a greater purpose.”
“I could be remembered for driving a car that has a name like the General Lee, not that there’s anything wrong with that show. Instead I’m remembered for something that changed emergency medicine, forever. How lucky can any one person be?” added Randolph.
