EXCLUSIVE
Jan-Michael Vincent — the ’80s heartthrob best known for his role on TV’s “Airwolf” — has died … TMZ has learned.
Jan-Michael actually died back on February 10 after suffering cardiac arrest while a patient at a North Carolina hospital … according to the death certificate. We’re told no autopsy was performed and he was later cremated.
His CBS hit, “Airwolf,” made him into a huge star. At the time, he was reportedly the highest-paid actor at $200k per episode. Jan-Michael played helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke on the show, but the series lasted only a couple seasons largely in part to the star’s cocaine abuse. His acting career would ultimately suffer from it.
Jan-Michael nearly died in 2012 from an infection that required his right leg to be amputated.
Jan-Michael also starred opposite Burt Reynolds in the 1978 film, “Hooper” — and co-starred with Kim Basinger in the 1981 film “Defiance.” He was a steady working actor in Hollywood for 3 decades, and appeared in tons of the old classics like, “Lassie,” “Bonanza,” and “Gunsmoke.”
Jan-Michael was 74. RIP.