Tarzan: The Epic Adventures Actor Joe Lara Dies Aged 58 in Tennessee Plane Crash

The 58-year-old Joe Lara Died when a Small Plane Crashed into a Tennessee Lake.

Joe Lara, the star of 1996's Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, died on Saturday when a small plane crashed into a Tennessee lake. He was 58.

His wife, a founder of a weight-loss church Gwen Shamblin Lara, was also involved in the crash, including five others. Besides Joe and Gwen, the other five victims were Jennifer J. Martin, David L. Martin, Jessica Walters, Jonathan Walters, and Brandon Hannah. According to BBC News, one of the victims, Brandon, was Mrs. Laras' son-in-law.

Joe Lara and Gwen Lara died when the plane crashed into Percy Priest Lake near Smyrna, Tennessee.
Photo Source: Instagram

According to TMZ, Emergency services worked through the night on Saturday before all the passengers were presumed dead. Rutherford Country Fire Rescue Capt. Joshua Sanders said, "Our efforts have transitioned from a rescue effort to that of a recovery effort," during a news conference.

As per the Federal Aviation Administration's statement to the Press, the small plane, a Cessna C501, crashed into Percy Priest Lake near Smyrna, Tennessee, after taking off at approximately 11 A.M. on Saturday. The plane was headed to Palm Beach International Airport in Florida.

Born on October 2, 1962, in San Diego, California, William Joseph Lara is best known for playing the character of Tarzan in the CBS television movie "Tarzan in Manhattan" in 1989 and its consecutive spin-off series, "Tarzan: The Epic Adventures" from 1996 to 1997. 

Though Joe was best known for Tarzan, he had many other credits include the action films "American Cyborg: Steel Warrior" (1993), "Steel Frontier" (1995), "Warhead" (1996), "Armstrong" (1998), and "Doomsdayer" (2000).

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Lara quit the acting profession in 2002 to pursue a career in country music. He frequently appeared on a YouTube channel with his wife called Life With Gwen and Joe. Joe released the album "Joe Lara: The Cry of Freedom" in 2009.

Lara married Gwen Shamblin in 2018, and the two lived in Brentwood with their daughter, Liana. In addition to his baby girl, he also had one child with Natasha Pavlovich from his previous relationship. 

According to Joe's website, he was also a licensed falconer, licensed pilot, an open-water diver, a surfer, a boxer, and a trained marksman.

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