Richard Bull Dies, 'Little House on the Prairie' Actor Mourned
Richard Bull of "The Little House on the Prairie" died at age 89 on Tuesday, leaving thousands of his fans in mourning this week.
The actor was known as Nels Oleson, the frontier shopkeeper on "Little House on the Prairie." The long-running television series was inspired by the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and ran on NBC from 1974 to 1983.
According to Bull's wife, Barbara Collentine Bull, the actor died in a hospital in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Feb. 3 after complications from pneumonia, according to the Pioneer Press. Bull and his wife, an actress, were married 66 years and co-starred in 2000's film "A Day in a Life."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Melissa Gilbert, who starred on "Little House" as Laura Ingalls, posted her respects to Bull on Twitter on Tuesday.
"This man will be missed," the actress wrote. "Goodbye Richard working with you was such a joy but [not] nearly as joyful as being your friend."
Furthermore, another "Little House" co-star Alison Arngrim, who played Bull's daughter Nellie, expressed her grief this week.
"Everyone loved him so much," said the actress, who remained close with Bull until his death, according to the Associated Press. "People are posting [condolences] in six different languages on my Facebook page."
Arngrim noted that Bull and his character on "Little House" were quite similar in many ways.
"[Bull] was as Nels Oleson as you'd possibly want someone to be," the actress said. "He was calm, rational, sensible."
"Little House on the Prairie" maintains a strong fan following, and has run on syndication for decades. Thousands of the show's fans are mourning Bull after the news of his death swept Twitter this week.
"RIP (Mr Oleson) Richard Bull," Leticia posted. "Heaven has gained another Angel!"
Another Twitter user Melissa added, "Remembering actor Richard Bull of #LittleHouseonthePrairie. Grew up watching the show and loved his kind character."
Bull also appeared in films such as "High Plains Drifter" and "Executive Action" both in 1973.
