‘Little House on the Prairie’ star Melissa Gilbert says Michael Landon’s ‘brutal’ cancer ‘decimated him’

Melissa Gilbert witnessed her TV dad, Michael Landon, combat a debilitating illness that yet took his life.

At property 54, the histrion who played patriarch Charles Ingalls successful "Little House connected the Prairie" was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died 3 months aft publically announcing his diagnosis successful 1991.

"It is truly a brutal and pernicious disease," Gilbert told People magazine. "To me, it felt similar a tornado. You person nary warning. It’s conscionable determination and the endurance complaint is virtually nil."

‘LITTLE HOUSE’ STAR MICHAEL LANDON WAS STUBBORN, AVOIDED DOCTORS AHEAD OF FATAL CANCER DIAGNOSIS: DAUGHTER

A young Melissa Gilbert is seen present with her TV dad, Michael Landon. (Everett Collection)

"I’d seen Michael person meningitis, I’d seen him with breached bones, I’d seen him with a batch of illnesses implicit the people of our clip together," the 60-year-old reflected. "But this took him and decimated him truthful fast."

"This antheral was the epitome of carnal well-being," the erstwhile kid prima continued. "I ever described him arsenic an upside-down triangle, truthful strong, successful specified large shape, truthful healthy. And to spot it hap truthful rapidly and truthful astir violently, it felt similar an force I wanted to defeat."

It wouldn’t beryllium the past clip Gilbert witnessed a loved 1 conflict the illness. Her longtime pal, Patrick Swayze, died successful 2009 at property 57 from pancreatic cancer.

Melissa Gilbert's friend, "Dirty Dancing" prima Patrick Swayze, died successful 2009. He was 57. (Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

"He was capable to combat for a batch longer than Michael Landon was capable to," said Gilbert. "But still… You spot them before, and you spot the pictures of them arsenic they’re going done it, and it is devastating."

"This is the happening that killed 2 of the strongest, astir extraordinarily bonzer carnal specimens of men I’d ever known successful my life," she shared. "Athletic, talented, I mean, you sanction it. To me, these guys were pillars, astir similar superheroes.

"I’d seen Michael person meningitis, I’d seen him with breached bones, I’d seen him with a batch of illnesses implicit the people of our clip together. But this took him and decimated him truthful fast."

Michael Landon passed distant from pancreatic crab months aft helium publically announced his diagnosis. (Frank Carroll/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images)

"And to spot thing similar that instrumentality them the mode it did… And it’s not conscionable the idiosyncratic going done it. I’m watching a full household endure on with some of these men arsenic they are suffering successful a mode that is indescribable."

According to the outlet, Gilbert is teaming up with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) to rise wealth for the charity. The nonprofit aims to money research, supply patient/caregiver support, arsenic good arsenic advocator for accrued national probe backing for those affected by the disease.

In clip for November – Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month - Gilbert’s manner brand, Modern Prairie, is launching a peculiar postulation featuring purple, the authoritative colour of pancreatic crab awareness. Gilbert told the outlet that each proceeds from the postulation would enactment PanCAN.

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Melissa Gilbert is hoping to rise funds and awareness. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

"It is perfectly incumbent upon america to usage that wealth for good," said Gilbert. "This was ever going to beryllium a extremity of ours. And I deliberation our narration with PanCAN is conscionable the archetypal measurement successful that direction."

Landon’s daughter, Leslie Landon Matthews, told Fox News Digital successful June that the prima had a stubborn streak erstwhile it came to prioritizing his checkups.

"The 1 happening that I cognize was portion of my dad’s property was his stubbornness," the erstwhile histrion explained. "And I don’t deliberation staying connected apical of his wellness was a priority. I deliberation helium enactment it aside."

"I cognize that my ma often talked astir getting him to his physicals," she reflected.

"[That] was ever a feat. And so, by the clip my dada was having uncontrollable symptom successful his stomach, helium was connected abrogation with my stepmom and younger sibling.... He flew location aboriginal from Utah to spell to his doctor’s appointment. He couldn’t disregard it anymore."

"I deliberation if my dada was live today, helium would say, ‘Boy, I blew it,’" said Landon Matthews. "’I truly should person been staying connected apical of my wellness each twelvemonth and making definite I was getting afloat checkups."

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Michael Landon was stubborn erstwhile it came to his checkups, his girl Leslie Landon Matthews told Fox News Digital successful June. (Frank Carroll/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

"If you’re a caretaker, you’re taking attraction of your kids and your household, you [do] get engaged and distracted. And, of course, your main precedence is your family. So, it’s precise casual to enactment your wellness connected the backmost burner. You request to docket [your checkups] conscionable similar you would for thing other successful your beingness and marque it a priority."

According to PanCAN, pancreatic crab is the 3rd starring cause of cancer-related death successful the United States. It has a five-year endurance complaint of 13%. It noted that there’s nary modular aboriginal detection trial and fewer effectual attraction options.

"He truly held onto the hope," said Landon Matthews astir her father. "And I deliberation helium would beryllium blown distant by what’s been done with the probe and with the advancement of pancreatic cancer. From diagnosis to death, it was 3 months for him. It was a precise abbreviated magnitude of clip that helium had."

Michael Landon is seen present successful May 1991. He died successful July of that year. (Kypros/Getty Images)

Landon Matthews said that during her father’s last months, helium continued to prioritize his family. It gave him the spot to support going.

"I deliberation heavy down helium might’ve known that helium wasn’t going to past that peculiar cancer," she said. "There truly wasn’t a batch backmost then. We’re talking implicit 30 years ago. I cognize that helium tried immoderate experimental treatments. He really, really, truly tried to bushed this cancer, particularly due to the fact that helium inactive had small ones to raise."

Before losing her father, Landon Matthews made a "goodbye book" for the star. All of the children gathered unneurotic and presented it to him.

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Michael Landon near down 9 children. (NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images)

"Each of america had a mates of pages, and we had enactment connected a beauteous plexiglass cover," Landon Matthews recalled. "And the screen of it said ‘Dad’... it was each of our small heads making up the letters. 

"I deliberation we wanted to fto him cognize that, nary substance what, we are each present for him, that we cherish him, we emotion him, but we besides wanted to fto him cognize that we were each going to beryllium OK if helium wasn’t going to survive. We were each going to beryllium capable to emotion each different and enactment together."