Melissa Gilbert is paying tribute to her late Little House on the Prairie costar Jack Lilley, one of her “favorite people on the planet,” after his death at 91.
In a lengthy and heartfelt Instagram post Friday, Gilbert wrote, “The Little House family has lost one of our own. Jack Lilley has passed away. He was 91 years old. He also happened to be one of my favorite people on the planet. He taught me how to ride a horse when I was just a wee little thing. He was so patient with me. He never said no when I would bound up to him squealing, ‘Can we go ride? Please, please, please?'”
Lilley was an actor and stuntman who appeared in a variety of roles on Little House, including as Victor French’s photo double. His family confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that he died Wednesday; a cause was not disclosed.
Melissa Gilbert and Jack Lilley on ‘Little House on the Prairie’. NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Peacock
Lilley served as a stunt coordinator on Little House from 1974 until 1983 and was featured in more 35 episode over the course of the show’s nine seasons, playing a collection of characters that ranged from everyday townspeople to carriage drivers. He also returned for three of the series’ made-for-TV movies in 1983 and 1984.
Nearly two decades after the show ended, Gilbert had a serendipitous encounter with Lilley on the set of an unaired Western pilot that just so happened to be filming at the same location where they shot Little House.
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“My first day on set was surreal, getting my hair and makeup done, getting dressed, laced into my corset, boots etc. Such a strange deja vu,” Gilbert recalled in her Instagram post. “Then I walked to the set itself and before I could even focus I heard a familiar voice holler, ‘Hey Halfpint, you old rat-ass!!!’ It was Jack. He was our wrangler for that pilot and by his side was Denny Allen, who had been our wrangler on Little House. In that instant, I knew I was home. Jack always felt like home to me. He lived quite a life. I am so lucky that he was my friend.”
Gilbert concluded her post by sending love and prayers to Lilley’s family and writing, “Oh Jack… sweet prince… may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. Love always, Your Halfpint.”
In a statement to EW, Lilley’s family expressed appreciation for the wave of love they’ve experienced in the wake of his passing.
“We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love for our favorite cowboy. He is survived by his 3 sons, Clay Lilley, Clint Lilley, and Ben Lilley, 5 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren,” the family said. “We encourage you to continue to share your Jack Lilley stories. If you knew papa, we know you have at least one. He was truly one of a kind.”
Funeral services “will be announced at a later date as we know many want to pay their respects to such an icon, friend, and all around cowboy,” the family noted.
In addition to Little House on the Prairie, Lilley worked on such films and TV series as Blazing Saddles, Zorro, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza. The Santa Clarita-born actor made his final screen appearance in the 2022 film No Name and Dynamite Davenport.
