Following the sad news of Dallas star Larry Hagman’s death, Channel 5 have released a statement confirming that the show will continue without him, BBC News report.

Hagman starred as JR Ewing in the original Dallas show, which ran from 1978 – 1991. When the show was reprised this year, Hagman stepped up and reprised the role.

When he began filming the re-booted series, it was known that he was suffering from cancer but he assured fans that it was a treatable form of the disease. However, he passed away on Friday (November 23, 2012), at the age of 81, as a result of the illness. He had filmed six of the 15 shows for the show’s second season. A statement from the UK broadcaster Channel 5 revealed “Dallas is midway in production on season two and this sad news will be incorporated into the storyline.” Season two is currently scheduled to premiere in the USA on January 28, 2013, on the TNT network.

One of his Dallas co-stars, Linda Gray, was with Hagman when he passed away and she said “He was the Pied Piper of life and brought joy to everyone he knew. He was creative, generous, funny, loving and talented and I will miss him enormously. He was an original and lived life to the full.” 

Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray talk about Season 2 of Dallas