Missouri Actor Weaver Dead at 81

Well known actor and Joplin native Dennis Weaver has died at his home in Colorado. He was 81. Reports are he died of complications from cancer. Weaver was known for his roles as Chester on the TV series Gunsmoke in the 1950s and 1960s and for his television role as McCloud, the cowboy detective in New York City (Filmography). In his later years, he was an advocate for what he called
ecolonomics, using ecological methods to further the economy.