THREE ACTORS WHO PLAYED THE MARLBORO MAN DIED FROM LUNG CANCER!

Three men who appeared in Marlboro advertisements - Wayne McLaren, David McLean, and Dick Hammer - died of lung cancer, thus earning Marlboro cigarettes, specifically Marlboro Reds, the nickname "Cowboy killers". McLaren testified in favor of anti-smoking legislation at the age of 51.

During the time of McLaren's anti-smoking activism, Philip Morris denied that McLaren ever appeared in a Marlboro ad, a position it later amended to maintaining that while he did appear in ads, he was not the Marlboro Man. McLaren died on July 22, 1992 at age 51. McLean died on October 12, 1995 at age 73. Hammer died on October 18, 1999 at age 69.

In many countries, the Marlboro Man is a figure of the past due to increasing pressure on tobacco advertising for health reasons, especially where the practice of smoking appears to be celebrated or glorified. The deaths described above may also have made it more difficult to use the campaign without attracting negative comment. The image continued until recently at least in countries such as Germany and the Czech Republic.