Joe Lara of 'Tarzan: The Epic Adventures' fame dies in plane crash with wife Gwen Shamblin

American actor Joe Lara, who played Tarzan in the early 1990s television series Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, died in a plane crash, on Saturday near Nashville. The 58-year-old actor was one of seven people killed in a private jet accident. His wife, author Gwen Shamblin Lara, was also involved in the crash, along with five others. Joe and Gwen are survived by her two adult children from Gwen's first marriage, Elizabeth Hannah and Michael Shamblin, as well as a daughter from Joe's previous relationship, plus several grandchildren.

Tarzan actor Joe Lara dies in a plane crash

In a news release on late Saturday, County officials identified the victims as Brandon Hannah, Gwen S Lara, William J Lara, David L. Martin, Jennifer J Martin, Jessica Walters and Jonathan Walters, all of Brentwood, Tennessee. Their names were released after family members had been notified. Later, on Sunday, Rutherford County Fire Rescue Capt John Ingle said in a statement that recovery efforts were ongoing at Percy Priest Lake near Smyrna. He added efforts also were focused on examining a half-mile-wide debris field in the lake.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Cessna C501 plane was heading from nearby Smyrna Rutherford County Airport to Palm Beach International Airport when it crashed Saturday morning, in a statement to Associated Press. Meanwhile, it is reported that authorities did not release registration information for the plane. The plane was headed to Palm Beach International Airport in Florida. 

The late actor is best known for playing the character of Tarzan in the CBS television movie Tarzan in Manhattan in 1989. Later, he reprised his role in its consecutive spin-off series, Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, from 1996 to 1997. Lara’s repertoire also includes action films American Cyborg: Steel Warrior, Steel Frontier, Warhead, Armstrong and Doomsdayer, among many others. Meanwhile, his wife Gwen founded the faith-based diet program Weigh Down Workshop and the Remnant Fellowship Church. The duo tied the knot in 2018. In recent years, Gwen and Joe appeared in a self-produced YouTube series titled Life With Gwen and Joe.

IMAGE: GWEN SHAMBLIN IG