Story:
Ex-Marlboro Man Eric Lawson Dies of Lung Disease.
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Ex-Marlboro man dies from smoking-related disease.
Analysis:
The messages spreading online suggest that an ex-Marlboro man Eric Lawson has died of smoking-related lung disease. Yes, it is a fact!
About Eric Lawson
Eric Lawson is a US actor who was once the face of Marlboro cigarettes. He portrayed the rugged Marlboro man in print advertisements during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Lawson also featured in episodes of hit US television serials like Charlie’s Angels, Dynasty and Baywatch.
His Death
The Marlboro man Eric Lawson died on 10 January 2014 in San Luis Obispo, California — suffering from respiratory failure due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Lawson was 72-year-old, and had been a smoker since the age of 14.
In his later years, Lawson also appeared in an anti-smoking commercial that parodied the Marlboro man. According to his wife Susan, Eric Lawson was smoking at that time and he continued the habit until he was diagnosed with COPD.
“He knew the cigarettes had a hold on him. He knew, yet he still couldn’t stop,” she said.
Other Ex-Marlboro Men Who Died in the Past
Eric Lawson is not the only actor and model for Marlboro brand cigarettes that has died of smoking-related diseases. Wayne McLaren, who appeared in Marlboro print ads, died of lung cancer in 1992, and David McLean, who appeared in print and television spots also died of lung cancer in 1995. Even in 1987, another face of Marlboro brand David Millar died of Emphysema, a type of COPD. You can watch a news report on Eric Lawson’s death in the video shown.
Note that diseases like lung cancer and COPD are strongly linked to cigarette smoking, but it is not possible to determine clearly whether a particular instance of a disease was caused by smoking.
Cigarette Smoking
Marlboro is the largest selling brand of cigarettes in the world, and the Marlboro Man campaign was used to promote the tobacco giant’s products for more than 40 years. Smoking Cigarettes and tobacco of any kind is certain to have damaging effects on one’s health that range from cardio, respiratory illnesses, also causing cancers and other diseases. You can learn about the health effects of Cigarette Smoking from the CDC website.
It is because of these variety of medical ailments associated with smoking that has caused the decline in smoking, and the media is also restricted to advertise cigarettes. Unfortunately, there still exist many smokers who get addicted to cigarettes and cause serious damage – not only to themselves, also to the people around, and the environment. We hope they learn something from these deaths.
Hoax or Fact:
Fact.
References:
Ex-Marlboro Man Actor Dies From Lung Disease
Marlboro Man Eric Lawson Dies of Lung Disease
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