Tragic story of actor Jon-Erik Hexum who fatally shot himself on set by accident

Prior to his tragic death, American actor Jon-Erik Hexum was touted as the ‘next big thing’ in Hollywood and considered somewhat of a ‘sex symbol’.

Born in New Jersey in November 1957, the Michigan State University-educated model officially began his movie career in 1982, landing the part of Phineas Bogg, a former pirate turned time traveller, in the NBC TV series Voyagers!

He was later cast opposite Dame Joan Collins in Making of a Male Model, appeared in an episode of Hotel, which aired after Dynasty, and made his final appearance in Cover Up, a show starring Jennifer O’Neill, Antony Hamilton, and the late Richard Anderson.

It was on the set of Cover Up that Hexum ‘jokingly’ shot himself with a gun and died as a result of the accident.

How Jon-Erik Hexum died on TV set

Jon-Erik Hexum tragically died on a TV set in Beverly Hills (Donaldson Collection/Getty Images)

The story goes that whilst filming the seventh episode of the 20th Century Fox programme on 12 October 1984, the 26-year-old star became ‘bored’ with delays.

People Magazine reported that one particular scene required Hexum’s character, Mac Harper, to load blank cartridges into a .44 Magnum revolver.

It’s understood that he became anxious, ‘frustrated’ and ‘stressed out’, prompting him to start fiddling with the gun during the delay.

Hexum allegedly told the Beverly Hills cast and crew: “Can you believe this crap?” whilst holding the gun to his head.

He pulled the trigger; the revolver was so close to Hexum’s head that the blast resulted in his skull becoming fractured.

Entertainment Weekly reported in 1994 that a quarter-sized piece of bone fragment was driven into his brain, leading to ‘massive haemorrhaging’.

Hexum donated his organs to help people in need (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Hexum was taken to Beverly Hills Medical Centre where, despite five hours of surgery, he remained in a coma and was later pronounced brain dead.

The actor was later transported to San Francisco, where he died in the company of his mother, Gretha Olivia Paulsen, and older brother, Gunnar, six days later.

Actor’s organs were donated to those in need

An archived 1984 article reported that Hexum’s organs were donated, with his heart being transplanted Friday into the chest of a 37-year-old man.

“Because of this man, I’m alive today,” recipient and former Navy SEAL Michael Washington said.

The New York Post reported in 2018 that his corneas were given to a 66-year-old man and a young girl.

Hexum’s kidneys were returned to the Southern California Transplant Bank in Los Angeles for future transplants, as per the article.

The star's Cover-Up co-star described him as being in the 'pinnacle of his career' (CBS via Getty Images)

His skin reportedly helped a three-year-old boy with serious burns, as per the Post.

In 2021, O'Neill described her former co-star as being in the ‘pinnacle of his life and career’ when ‘accidentally shot himself with a half-loaded prop gun while fooling around’.

“What a tragedy! Gun safety is essential and needs to be professionally addressed to spare the tragic loss of innocent lives,” she said to Fox News.

She added that the decison to donate his organse was ‘selfless’, claiming he was “[able] to save the lives of so many others in need following his fatal accident.”