Sam Shepard, gifted writer and actor who portrayed Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff, has passed away due to complications of ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Born Sam Shepard Rogers on November 5th, 1943 in Fort Sheridan, Illinois he was the son of a World War II bomber pilot and officer who spent most of his youth moving from base to base.

After completing, he studied agriculture and focused on working with animals to become a veterinarian, but joined a theater troupe where he focused on acting and writing.

In 1961, he moved to New York and began writing successful plays where he won the prestigious OBIE award and briefly playing the drums in the rock and roll band, the Holy Modal Rounders.

A successful playwright with the popular True West, which is taught in many acting classes today, His major success came when he portrayed the legendary pilot, Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff, with Yeager also cameoing with him in Pancho Barnes’ Happy Bottom Flying Club bar.

Other notable performances include Steel Magnolias, Frances (where he met the love of his life, Jessica Lange), Thunderheart, Black Hawk Down and was the voice of the narrator in the 2006 adaptation of Charlotte’s Web.

STARBURST sends our thoughts out to his friends and family to a memorable writer and actor.

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