Trigger Warning: This article mentions substance abuse and suicide.
Come aboard for an ’80s classic!
“The Love Boat” premiered in 1977 and ran for nine seasons before ending in 1986.
(It returned for four primetime specials the following year.)
The show took place on a cruise ship and followed the adventures of the boat’s workers and passengers.
The series combined elements of drama, comedy, and romance.
Some of the cast members also chose to leave acting behind once the show came to an end.
Unlike on the show, not every situation ended with a classic happily ever after.
But in real life, the actress struggled with an addiction to cocaine.
Klous remained on the show until the series finale.
In September 2024, Grandy called Tewes “a sister” to the cast.
“The circumstances of her departure were not so lovely,” he said (viaPeople).
It was not a healthcare problem, and it was not understood in the way it is understood now.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available.
Visit theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration websiteor contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
But before MacLeod struck it big as an actor, he struggled with feeling inadequate.
In 1962, he became a series regular on the military comedy series “McHale’s Navy.”
“I had like, two lines a week,” he remembered.
“I started feeling sorry for myself.
I started to drink.
I started to be very, very unhappy.”
“As an actor, I was just going down the tubes.”
Feeling at an all time low, he thought of ending his life by driving off of nearby hills.
But luckily, “Something made me put my foot on the break,” MacLeod said.
After decades of a successful acting career,MacLeod died in 2021at 90 years old.
But while her career took off, her personal life has included tragedy.
In August 1978, Charo married her second husband, Kjell Rasten, who became her manager shortly thereafter.
Sadly, after more than four decades of marriage, Rasten died by suicide in 2019.
He also became very depressed.
None of us had any idea this could happen to such a wonderful, kind and generous man."
Charo also faced criticism when she married her first husband, Xavier Cugat.
The two married in 1966 when Charo was just a teenager and Cugat was forty years her senior.
This also caused a controversy bringing into question her official date of birth.
According toThe LA Times, Charo originally said she was born in 1947.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available.
Call or text 988 or chat988lifeline.org
