On This Date in 1993: Bill Bixby Died Way Too Young - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 11-21-2010, 01:05 AM

November 21st, 1993 - Bill Bixby passed away from prostate cancer at age 59

Marvo301 · 11-21-2010, 02:15 AM

Bill Bixby

catlover79 · 11-21-2010, 04:48 PM

to a talented, kind man who endured so much personal tragedy and went much too soon.

AB · 11-22-2010, 05:16 PM

Rest in peace.

Retro4Life · 11-22-2010, 05:22 PM

Amen, Brian. What a great guy and actor, too. Can't picture him at age 76 (what he'd be today).

Mr. Television · 11-22-2010, 08:25 PM

Bill Bixby was the perfect father...the perfect superhero and the perfect actor. He is truly missed. What a great man he was.

TMC · 04-02-2018, 04:16 PM

king of comedy · 04-02-2018, 04:47 PM

So young and so sad.

TMC · 04-21-2018, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

to a talented, kind man who endured so much personal tragedy and went much too soon.

Yeah, he had such a tragic life. His seven year old son, his only child, died of a rare throat infection while on a ski vacation, and his wife, the actress Brenda Benet, left him for another woman, divorced him, and then shot herself a year later. He married a second time, but died six weeks before he collapsed from prostate cancer while directing an episode of Blossom; he died soon after.

TMC · 06-15-2020, 05:30 AM

I don't know how many of you saw the recent episode of Autopsy: The Last Hours of... on Reelz. But they did an episode that examined Bill Bixby's death from prostate cancer at the age of 59 in 1993. I try to be careful when acknowledging so-called celebrity blind items on here. But I still can't help but wonder when I about five months ago came across a "reader blind" that suggests that Bill Bixby was unfortunately the victim of a curse.

Basically, Bill in between the end of The Courtship of Eddie's Father and start of The Incredible Hulk, starred on a show for NBC called The Magician, where he played a stage magician who moonlighted as a detective. The story goes that Bill was required to do research for The Magician and therefore, met with practitioners of the dark arts. However, Bill supposedly offended these people by first doubting that what they did was real and then, not acknowledging them in the show's credits for the help that they gave.

Whether it was truly a "curse" or just coincidence, this was followed by the tragic and sudden death of his six year old son, Christopher (Bill's ex-wife and Christopher's mother, Brenda Benet, committed suicide the following year), a fire destroyed a lot of his personal effects, and he went through a career dry spell after the cancellation of The Incredible Hulk in 1982. Bill starred in on last show, a sitcom called Goodnight Beantown, which was cancelled after only 18 episodes.

The blind concludes by implying that Bill Bixby finally went back to these practitioners and apologized. Soon afterword, the supposed spell was lifted and that's when Bill started finding new success behind the camera. But sadly shortly thereafter, Bill fell ill and died from what could be otherwise considered a treatable form of cancer.

11-21-2010, 01:05 AM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,108	On This Date in 1993: Bill Bixby Died Way Too Young November 21st, 1993 - Bill Bixby passed away from prostate cancer at age 59
	__________________ The Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: John 3:3 *Money Doesn't Buy Happiness...But I'd Rather Cry in My Private Jet*

11-21-2010, 02:15 AM	#2
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,450	Bill Bixby
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

11-21-2010, 04:48 PM	#3
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	to a talented, kind man who endured so much personal tragedy and went much too soon.
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

11-22-2010, 05:22 PM	#5
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,706	Amen, Brian. What a great guy and actor, too. Can't picture him at age 76 (what he'd be today).
	__________________ Alex Reiger :[Trying to convince Louie not to antagonize Bobby] "It's not hard to make people feel bad about their lives. What's hard is making people feel good about their lives."

11-22-2010, 08:25 PM	#6
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,125	Bill Bixby was the perfect father...the perfect superhero and the perfect actor. He is truly missed. What a great man he was.
	__________________ Sonny

11-22-2010, 05:16 PM	#4
AB Member Eternal Member Forum Icon Join Date: Dec 26, 2006 Location: The South Posts: 59,426	Rest in peace.

04-02-2018, 04:16 PM	#7
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,545

04-02-2018, 04:47 PM	#8
king of comedy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Aug 31, 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 5,140	So young and so sad.

06-15-2020, 05:30 AM	#10
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,545	I don't know how many of you saw the recent episode of Autopsy: The Last Hours of... on Reelz. But they did an episode that examined Bill Bixby's death from prostate cancer at the age of 59 in 1993. I try to be careful when acknowledging so-called celebrity blind items on here. But I still can't help but wonder when I about five months ago came across a "reader blind" that suggests that Bill Bixby was unfortunately the victim of a curse. Basically, Bill in between the end of The Courtship of Eddie's Father and start of The Incredible Hulk, starred on a show for NBC called The Magician, where he played a stage magician who moonlighted as a detective. The story goes that Bill was required to do research for The Magician and therefore, met with practitioners of the dark arts. However, Bill supposedly offended these people by first doubting that what they did was real and then, not acknowledging them in the show's credits for the help that they gave. Whether it was truly a "curse" or just coincidence, this was followed by the tragic and sudden death of his six year old son, Christopher (Bill's ex-wife and Christopher's mother, Brenda Benet, committed suicide the following year), a fire destroyed a lot of his personal effects, and he went through a career dry spell after the cancellation of The Incredible Hulk in 1982. Bill starred in on last show, a sitcom called Goodnight Beantown, which was cancelled after only 18 episodes. The blind concludes by implying that Bill Bixby finally went back to these practitioners and apologized. Soon afterword, the supposed spell was lifted and that's when Bill started finding new success behind the camera. But sadly shortly thereafter, Bill fell ill and died from what could be otherwise considered a treatable form of cancer.