Although Kercheval and
Larry Hagman fought many battles on
Dallas (1978), their most challenging battles were in real-life after the show ended. Kercheval successfully beat lung cancer in 1993, and had to have a significant portion of his lung removed, as a result of years of heavy smoking. Hagman underwent a successful liver transplant after being given weeks to live. In 2011, however, Hagman was diagnosed with stage-2 throat cancer and succumbed in November 2012.