Gil Gerard, known best to genre fans as Captain William “Buck” Rogers in the TV series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, has passed away.His death in hospice on Tuesday was announced by his wife, Janet Gerard, on Facebook. He was 82.

She wrote:

“Early this morning Gil—my soulmate—lost his fight with a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer. From the moment when we knew something was wrong to his death this morning was only days.

“No matter how many years I got to spend with him it would have ever been enough. Hold the ones you have tightly and love them fiercely.”

When Buck Rogers in the 25th Century debuted as both a theatrical pilot and a network television series in 1979, it tapped directly into the imaginative surge sparked by Star Wars and helped bring bright, hopeful space adventure into living rooms across the world. Gerard’s combination of swagger, warmth, and humor anchored the show’s vision of the future, and he brought to life a character that generations of viewers still remember fondly.

Born Gilbert Cyril Gerard in Little Rock, Arkansas, he came to acting the hard way — pursuing his craft in New York while working taxi shifts to keep going. From commercials and daytime dramas to that role that would define him, Gerard’s path was shaped by persistence as much as talent. After Buck Rogers, he worked steadily across television and film, joining long-running dramas, guest roles, and later appearances that underscored his versatility beyond the genre that first made him a household name.

In other roles, Gil Gerard guest-starred as Admiral Jack Sheehan in “Kitumba”, the January 1, 2014, episode of the fan web series Star Trek: Phase II. He also starred in the short-lived aE.A.RT.H. FORCE AS Dr. John Harding, the leader of a team of eco-warriors. He starred in the Disney made-for-TV movie The Last Electric Knight (1986) and its short-lived spin-off Sidekicks as police Sgt.Jake Rizzo.

In messages shared by his wife, Gerard reflected on his life with a clarity and generosity that felt like a final gift to those who watched him: that life is to be filled with passion and love, and that we should chase what truly thrills us. “Don’t waste your time on anything that doesn’t thrill you or bring you love. See you out somewhere in the cosmos,” he wrote — a line that sounds, fittingly, like something his Buck Rogers self might have said in another life.

He is survived by his wife Janet and his son Gib, who followed in his father’s footsteps into show business. His legacy will live on not just in reruns and conventions, but in the countless conversations and dreams he helped ignite.

Rest among the stars, Gil Gerard. Your ride into the future inspired more of us than you probably ever knew.