According to The Mirror, the actor reportedly suffered with dementia before his death, and had been living at a memory care facility in Memphis.
Ben worked opposite Audie Murphy in Gunfight at Comanche Creek (1963) and Arizona Raiders (1965) and stood out in Rebel in Town (1956), Duel at Apache Wells (1957), Waco (1966), Roy Orbison’s The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967), Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) and One More Train to Rob (1971).
He also appeared on Gunsmoke three times and on Bonanza, Tales of Wells Fargo, Wagon Train, The Rifleman, Death Valley Days and a 1961 Civil War-set episode of The Twilight Zone.
Ben previously opened up about his roles in an undated interview filmed for the Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine, California.ž
He explained: ”They let me play cowboy, and they paid me [for it].
“I’d ridden horses, I got my own horse when I was 12. I used to jump him bareback.
“I didn’t know they had stuntmen; I’d watch a movie and then practice on my horse until I could do [the stunt.]”
The film star said he also worked on perfecting his fast draw 90 minutes a day for four years.
BEN COOPER, who was best known for starring in Western movies including Johnny Guitar, has died at the age of 86 after suffering from a long illness.
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