Actor Amanda Blake portrayed the local saloon and bordello ... Blake was a two-pack-a-day smoker and underwent surgery for oral cancer in 1977. She later became involved with the American Cancer ...

Actress Amanda Blake, who died from AIDS-related hepatitis in 1989, was one tough cookie, just like her most famous character, Miss Kitty Russell on TV’s long-running Western, Gunsmoke.As the ...

television series, which she left in 1974 after 19 years; once a two-pack-a-day cigarette smoker, she underwent surgery for oral cancer in 1977; she then made appearances throughout the country on ...

In its 19th season, Blake left Gunsmoke for health reasons and difficulty traveling. The show lasted only one more year. The actor was a heavy smoker and, in the ’70s, developed oral cancer ...