The breadth of Michael Landon‘s influence on television is rivaled only by the considerable size of his family. Across several partners, Landon became a father to nine children, with whom he reportedly fostered decent relationships with, despite the troubled nature of the rest of his family life. Landon also had a bedtime tradition with his kids to cultivate knowledge and bonding – but that also led to some heartbreaking moments.
Landon married three times and had nine children, three of whom he adopted. His kids were Mark, Josh, Cheryl, Leslie, Michael, Shawna, Christopher, Jennifer, and Sean. The latter two were from his marriage to Cindy Clerico, a makeup artist from Little House on the Prairie. It was also these two youngsters that Landon spoke to each night before bed with some emotional stuff coming out of those conversations.
Michael Landon had a bedtime tradition with his kids that turned somber
Born in 1936, Landon was in his late forties when he married Cindy in ’83 – and, unbeknownst to him, nearing the end of his life, as he would be diagnosed with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer in 1991. This tragically set the stage for some somber talks when Landon initiated his bedtime tradition with Sean and Jennifer.
When he tucked the two youngsters into bed each night, he had them both ask one question. Sean usually went with “What was the worst thing you did when you were a little boy?” This gradually got harder each night for Landon to answer, but not as hard as seven-year-old Jennifer’s query: she asked him if he was going to die.
Jennifer Landon was born on August 29, 1983; she was seven in ’90, on the eve of Landon’s passing. How did he address this grim topic when he himself was starting to feel his worst?
Michael Landon drew from his faith to answer honestly
In a 1991 interview with The Associated Press, Landon said, “I believe in God, I believe in family, I believe in truth between people, I believe in the power of love.” So, when Landon hesitated to answer Jennifer’s question, these values helped him figure out how to reply.
Landon told her he did not know. “Then I said that even if I were to die, they would be all right,” Landon said in a Life magazine article. “They would miss me terribly, and I would miss them terribly. But nothing would change.”