Gil Gerard's family: How the 'Buck Rogers' star met his soulmate Janet after four failed marriages

Gil Gerard, popular for starring in 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century', has died. He was 82.

The 'Buck Rogers' star died on Tuesday, Dec. 16, in hospice care as a result of a rare, aggressive form of cancer, according to his manager, Tina Presley Borek. "Don’t waste your time on anything that doesn’t thrill you or bring you love. See you out somewhere in the cosmos," he said in his final message, which was posthumously posted by his wife, Janet Gerard.




Along with his illustrious career, Gil Gerard was also married five times. He spent his final years with his loving wife of 18 years, Janet. Here’s everything you need to know about the star’s five marriages.

All about Gil Gerard’s multiple marriages

Gil Gerard’s first marriage took place in the 1960s in Arkansas. He married a secretary; however, the marriage only lasted eight months. Gerard, who was an aspiring actor, moved to New York City, where he met his second wife, a bank executive. The relationship went on and off for seven years, but they eventually divorced. The names of his first two wives remain unknown.

Gerard later moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s in hopes of more acting opportunities. A few years later, in 1979, he met actress and model Connie Sellecca and got married. The couple were madly in love with each other. In 1981, they welcomed their son, Gilbert "Gib" Vincent Gerard. It was during this time that his show, "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century", was cancelled. The actor struggled with drug and alcohol abuse during this period. In 1987, he divorced, and his ex-wife Connie Sellecca was awarded primary custody of their son.

Gil Gerard never shied away from finding love, and in the same year, he met Bobi Leonard, an interior designer, whom he married. The marriage only lasted a year. Despite these failed marriages, Gerard still had hope. In 2001, he married his fifth wife, Janet Gerard. She is the owner and designer of Rayguns & Rust. They were married for 18 years, until his death. In his final message, posted posthumously, Gerard spoke about meeting his "amazing wife", Janet.

"If you are reading this, then Janet has posted it as I asked her to. My life has been an amazing journey. The opportunities I've had, the people I've met, and the love I have given and received have made my 82 years on the planet deeply satisfying. My journey has taken me from Arkansas to New York to Los Angeles, and finally, to my home in North Georgia with my amazing wife, Janet, of 18 years. It's been a great ride, but inevitably one that comes to a close, as mine has," he wrote.

Janet on Gil Gerard’s passing

Gil Gerard’s wife, Janet, penned a heartbreaking note on her husband’s demise. "Early this morning Gil – my soulmate – lost his fight with a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer. From the moment 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 never have been enough. Hold the ones you have tightly and love them fiercely," she said in her Facebook note.



"I was by his side when my husband passed away this morning in hospice care."

Gerard's death marks the passing of one of late 1970s television’s most recognisable sci-fi leads.