Inside Ron Ely's Unexpected Family Tragedy That Occurred Years Before His Own Death

On Oct. 23, news broke that actor Ron Ely, known for Tarzan and other television shows, had passed away on Sept. 29. He is survived by his two daughters. However, he also once had a son and a wife by his side. But what happened to Ron Ely's wife? And where is his son now? The family dealt with an immense tragedy in 2019, years before Ron's own death, and there are some gruesome details.

In addition to the 1960s TV show Tarzan, Ron appeared in plenty of other iconic series, though not all of his other roles were nearly as iconic. From an episode of Wonder Woman to a few episodes and various characters on The Love Boat, however, Ron left a lasting mark. Sadly, his fame was marred by a tragedy involving his wife and son later in life.

Ron's wife, Valerie Lundeen, died in 2019. She was found stabbed to death at the home she shared with Ron in Santa Barbara, Calif. Authorities had reportedly responded to a domestic disturbance at the house after a male placed a 911 call. It was later revealed that the couple's adult son, Cameron Ely, had stabbed Valerie repeatedly. When police found him still on the property and he claimed to have a gun, police fatally shot him.

Ron's son Cameron was 30 years old at the time of his mother's murder. According to People at that time, when officers arrived to the home, Ron told them his son was the perpetrator and authorities found him on the property with a knife wound on his neck, a small bag of cocaine in his pocket, and a garden hose nozzle that he had reportedly claimed was a gun.

After Cameron said he had a gun and appeared to reach for the nozzle tucked into his pants, the responding officers shot Cameron repeatedly and then called for a medic. He was pronounced dead on the scene and he suffered 22 gunshot wounds in total. Although Ron filed a wrongful death suit against local authorities, it was labeled as a justifiable shooting.

Ron was a family man throughout his life. In 2012, he spoke to Fanboy about his focus remaining on his family as he navigated life after acting and considered the possibility of returning. But for him, his biggest commitment was his family, even though his kids were adults at that point.

"There's not a lot that I do that's not family oriented," he said at the time. "I am fully committed to my wife and my children. That's why I stepped out of the business, because I wanted to spend more time to raise my kids."