What Was Johnny Crawford's Net Worth When He Died?
Johnny Crawford, the former child star known as one of the original "Mickey Mouse Club" Mouseketeers and for his role in "The Rifleman," has died at the age of 75, according to a statement on his website. Crawford died on Thursday in a small care facility after a battle with Alzheimer's Disease, and recently contracting COVID-19, followed by pneumonia. His wife, Charlotte, was by his side at the time of his death.
Appearing as a child actor on numerous television shows, Crawford landed a role as Mark McCain on "The Rifleman," acting as the lead character's son. The show ran for 168 episodes across five years. At the age of just 13, he was nominated for an Emmy in the category of Best Supporting Actor for his work on the show, per The Hollywood Reporter. According to his IMDb page, he also appeared in "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit," the television series "The Lone Ranger," and "The Loretta Young Show" before landing a role in "Courage of Black Beauty."
Johnny Crawford was a hit-recording musician, too
Crawford was born into a musical family and began a recording career while he appeared on "The Rifleman," even singing on later seasons of the show. In the late 1950s and early '60s, he gained popularity among teenagers for his songs, per American Profile. In all, he recorded three albums under the Del-Fi label and produced eight singles that made the Billboard Top 100 charts, including "Cindy's Birthday" from 1962, which reached #8.
In 1976, after more than a decade away from the public eye, Crawford appeared as Ben Shelby in Season 3 of "Little House on the Prairie." And he played the role of Sheriff's Deputy Noah Paisley in a 1985 episode of "Murder, She Wrote." Some of Crawford's other film credits include "Indian Paint," "The Restless Ones," and "El Dorado."
Later in his life, in 1992, Crawford led a California-based vintage dance orchestra, named JCO (the Johnny Crawford Orchestra). Over the years, JCO frequently played special events, including 15 years in a row at the Art Directors Guild Awards shows at the Beverly Hilton, in Beverly Hills.
At the time of his death, Johnny Crawford's net worth was $500 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. However, in 2019, Crawford's friend, Paul Petersen, organized a GoFundMe campaign to help the actor's family with expenses following his Alzheimer's Disease diagnosis.