A bio-medical engineer graduate from Michigan State Universitywho played concert-level piano in bars, did odd jobs and cleaned houses to make ends meet. During his college years Hexum used his velvet baritone voice to wow audiences as all-night radio DJ Jack Hexum on several Michigan stations. He was 26 at his last interview here before his death on October 18, 1984.
Because of the recent Alec Baldwin tragedy, it prompted me to look up Jon Erik Hexum. I never saw this interview till now. Still heartbroken that this great guy died so young. Good genuine soul, beyond gorgeous, the voice, smart, talented, motivated, hard worker, the whole package. A tragic loss to us all. Gone way too soon. I hope his family knows how admired and loved he was. One of a kind! The impact Jon made in the short time he was alive. God rest his soul. We miss you Jon Erik Hexum. RIP😔🙏❤
When it happened, I was a teenager. It was a huge news item because he was becoming a big deal and no one knew blanks were so dangerous. It was really hard to believe he could die. They didn't announce he was brain dead for close to a week. We obsessed on any news every single day. Did he move? Did he respond? Did the doctor say anything about how he was doing. Each day we hoped and prayed, and then they announced he was brain dead. It was devastating. I never forgot all of that.
THE BEST LOOKING MAN EVER, FROM HEAD TO TOE. THE VOICE IS CLASSIC. HE WAS A THREAT TO LEADING MEN AT THE TIME. VERY KIND, INTELLIGENT AND WONDERFUL PERSON.
A 90's to present Hexum would have been a heavenly sight to behold. Still a sex symbol but long shuck off the hunk image. He'd be a serious lead, working with great directors, incredible actresses and just delivering career defining performances. A well-rounded body of work though with healthy sprinklings of comedy, action and animated voice overs...
Can't help noticing how irritated and disenchanted he seems with his show and hollywood in this interview. Hate Cover-up because of what happened to him and also because he seemed to dislike it too. Beautiful man. Fine human being. Much missed.
i think he talked about high profile gay men coming after him and this was to show the world how hellywierd is so nice and people are wonderful and nothing bad ever happens and life's a dream, then they shot him, ...oooooor, he's still alive doing something else, maybe he married his male executive husband????? who will ever know? they are either recirculating these people or they are dead, not sure.........................................
He didn't dislike it that much. He calls it "a good show, very exciting, lots of action, lots of adventure". The hours were too long and producers should've reined those in. Perhaps he wouldn't have gotten so bored. I think crews back then took their time, but it often meant a better product with the camerawork and directing.
You're 100% right... Only just learned about him and his accidental death, and just seeing him being so damn grounded and well-balanced only serves to make his death all the more tragic. :(
A lot of actors don't like working TV shows because you are literally working morning to night, week after week. You have tons of publicity tours from one coast to another (remember that LA is 4 hours behind NYC), and there is a lot of hurry up-and-wait. It isn't a comedy show that gets to rehearse and block for three days before filming; hour long shows have to go in, film, move on in six days.
So unfortunate his untimely death as he was on the verge of becoming Hollywood’s next Cary Grant ultimately allowing the likes of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt to then acquire their stardom in his wake. He was a true class act !!!! RIP
I see a brilliant person that wants to be taken seriously as an actor but keeps getting bottle necked for his good looks. He's practically getting throttled here for choosing to not go full frontal in Playgirl. And he was a brilliant actor. Gone too soon. Rip.
Unreal. I'm speechless. Don Harron played the character Charlie Farquarson (sp?) on Hee Haw for 18 years. I only found out about this show on his WIKI bio page. I'm glad I did.
He seemed like he was getting disillusioned with the business. I don't think he would have stayed in TV very long. Or Hollywood for that matter. You never know. He might have decided to join the military. Sad he grew so frustrated on set that he placed that gun against his head. He seemed surprised how conservative Hollywood was at the time. Lord, he was such a babe in the woods.
When Jon mentions that 23 new shows came about the previous season, and only 4 stayed on the air, "Airwolf" was one of them. Weird to think that he subtlety refers to it. Seemed like a grounded guy, but a bit moody.
I remember the day the news broke that he died like it was yesterday. I have just never seen him n an interview. What a shame. He was a really good guy , down to earth.
He talks about Cover Up going "really slow" ...it seems that boredom and the tedium of working on the series was one of the reasons he started playing with the prop gun on that day. So sad.
He died as a result of an accidental self-inflicted blank cartridge gunshot wound to the head on the set of the CBS television series Cover Up in which he played the male lead.
I would like to hear him sing, I bet he has a good voice, and a good ear. Hard to believe he is only 26. Seems more mature. The host is not very good. His S’s whistle, his voice is whispery and sqeaky, his questions are boring, and he only seems interested in Jon’s appearance.
This interview is interrogatory to know everything about his private life Never respected.Media without frontiers damage reputation and do whatever without dignity left.
What a terrible interviewer. He had to repeat things a few times and he kept interrupting John. No wonder his show didn’t last very long. And it’s awful that Jon-Erik had to keep putting up with all the stupid questions interviewers asked just because he was attractive. I guess beautiful women have had to put up with the same nonsense for years as well.
Dobtful. Tony admitted that there was professional jealousy between the two, as they often auditioned for the same roles. Maybe you fantasize about it, but JEH was totally straight.
I loved this show and really enjoyed watching him. But I can remember reading about his death. They reported that there were long delays in filming his parts and Hexum would get really bored. I noticed how he said in this interview that during the show it went really slow, like they worked for 15 hours. They said on the set one day that Hexum was really bored and picked up a prop pistol which he knew only contained a blank and put it to his temple and he pulled the trigger. He was mocking the fact about being so bored that he could just shoot himself. It was so sad that he didn't know that even a blank can cause serious injury if fired too close. The shock wave from the blank penetrated his skull and sent fragments of bone into his brain. He was declared brain dead a few days later. Such a beautiful man just starting what was probably going to be a very exciting career.
Actually, he was brain dead pretty much after surgery, they just put him on life-support because there is always that tiny less than 1% who come back. But in all honesty, I think they wanted to give his family and friends time to say goodbye and let his mom make the arrangements to donate his organs. His on-set act was pure stupidity, but his last act was pure love as it saved so many people.
the way the host speaks about cleaning women and men is so rude and unfair... our values in life should be connected with our decency and solidarity to others not with what we do...
I had just turned 11 when he tragically passed. I was probably one of the few who watched Voyagers! weekly. So i was an upcoming huge fan in October of 84, when tragi incident unfolded and he died. I remember hearing he was brain dead, and in my shocked, young mind had a hard time coming to grips that he was really gone. I was thinking 'well his brain is dead, but his body isn't ' i can even remember asking my mom 'could you still live if your brain is dead?' I can remember her telling me (and its something thats stuck with me for the past almost 40 years)- 'yeah, a person can live when they're brain dead, but it would be nothing but machines that would keep them alive. Thats no way to live, and no one would want to live like that.' I suddenly got an image in my head of JEH being kept alive like that, and was pretty much glad he wasn't 'living' that. And thats how i came to terms with his passing (the first big star i really liked to pass). Yeah, it still hurts thinking about what could've came of him. Definitely gone way too soon.
When you're good looking people talk to you like this out of jealousy or they think you don't know anything since you can't be good looking and smart ( amazing).
Thank you for posting this.. my brothers and I used to watch him on the show Voyagers! when we were kids..so sad that he is gone....he is terribly missed..
Nice to see these interviews especially this one being shown almost as a tribute and Don Harron saying that Jon Erik will be missed. Shame its not the best interview; Don doesnt seem to have done his homework and gets a few things wrong but Jon seems quite uncomfortable and not his usual self.
He's really humble. Anytime the host would big up talk his achievements Jon-Erik will downplay it. Seemed like a nice guy. Was was dating E.G Daily at the time he sadly passed . She said she visited him on set only an hour before his fatal accident that day
It's interesting to see the dynamic between 'the hunk' and 'the host'. Jon is well versed, knowledgeable, cerebal.... and Don Harron is well 'fanzine-ing". It must have been exhausting to have to constantly deal with people talking down to you as if you were stupid. I mean this guy was cleaning houses to make money! Just cuz he's strikingly handsome doesn't make him an idiot. RIP. I was 10 yrs old when he passed and I don't remember why his death was so heavily imprinted on my childhood. I remember it so vividly
He mentioned the movie Summer Lovers which he didn't get the part, Daryl Hannah was in it and Peter Gallagher which they both were in pretty good movies.. Jon didn't seem like his self in this interview... RIP JEH
I went to a couple of the don Harron talk show tapings in 1984. It was taped at the tv studio in Burnaby which is a part of the greater Vancouver area. Interesting tidbit: don Harron replaced Alan Thicke as the host when Alan left to do his Thicke of the Night talk show in LA
A bio-medical engineer graduate from Michigan State Universitywho played concert-level piano in bars, did odd jobs and cleaned houses to make ends meet. During his college years Hexum used his velvet baritone voice to wow audiences as all-night radio DJ Jack Hexum on several Michigan stations. He was 26 at his last interview here before his death on October 18, 1984.
Because of the recent Alec Baldwin tragedy, it prompted me to look up Jon Erik Hexum. I never saw this interview till now. Still heartbroken that this great guy died so young. Good genuine soul, beyond gorgeous, the voice, smart, talented, motivated, hard worker, the whole package. A tragic loss to us all. Gone way too soon. I hope his family knows how admired and loved he was. One of a kind! The impact Jon made in the short time he was alive. God rest his soul. We miss you Jon Erik Hexum. RIP😔🙏❤
When it happened, I was a teenager. It was a huge news item because he was becoming a big deal and no one knew blanks were so dangerous. It was really hard to believe he could die. They didn't announce he was brain dead for close to a week. We obsessed on any news every single day. Did he move? Did he respond? Did the doctor say anything about how he was doing. Each day we hoped and prayed, and then they announced he was brain dead. It was devastating. I never forgot all of that.
It's terrible because it's really true that the good die young.
Remember there was blanks in his gun and he accidentally shot himself. The blanks still killed him .
Jon had such an amazing baritone voice, as well as stunning good looks.
If I did nothing but look at Jon-Erik Hexum for the rest of my life, it will be a life well lived!!!
@@t.j.7789🤭
THE BEST LOOKING MAN EVER, FROM HEAD TO TOE.
THE VOICE IS CLASSIC.
HE WAS A THREAT TO LEADING MEN AT THE TIME.
VERY KIND, INTELLIGENT AND WONDERFUL
PERSON.
Jon Erik Hexum was a wonderful person and actor. So unfair that he died.
I wish Jon erik was still alive
Boy, how times have changed! RIP John.
I remember when he died i was heartbroken i loved the show Voyagers
I knew i was gay the moment I set eyes and ears on him .
You know he always seemed way too smart to me to do what he did with that gun.
He...looks...Scandinavian...down to earth..sensible...
Norwegian descent. His mother is Norwegian. Kinda looks like a manlier version of the A-ha lead singer
A 90's to present Hexum would have been a heavenly sight to behold. Still a sex symbol but long shuck off the hunk image. He'd be a serious lead, working with great directors, incredible actresses and just delivering career defining performances. A well-rounded body of work though with healthy sprinklings of comedy, action and animated voice overs...
Rampage Clover be like selleck
I was thinking more like Costner or Quaid...
He could have made millions just on doing voice overs!
Could made 300 just being naked
Ya he would’ve but morgen freeman and Sam Elliot
His star was on the rise when he died.
Can't help noticing how irritated and disenchanted he seems with his show and hollywood in this interview. Hate Cover-up because of what happened to him and also because he seemed to dislike it too. Beautiful man. Fine human being. Much missed.
i think he talked about high profile gay men coming after him and this was to show the world how hellywierd is so nice and people are wonderful and nothing bad ever happens and life's a dream, then they shot him, ...oooooor, he's still alive doing something else, maybe he married his male executive husband????? who will ever know? they are either recirculating these people or they are dead, not sure.........................................
He didn't dislike it that much. He calls it "a good show, very exciting, lots of action, lots of adventure". The hours were too long and producers should've reined those in. Perhaps he wouldn't have gotten so bored. I think crews back then took their time, but it often meant a better product with the camerawork and directing.
You're 100% right... Only just learned about him and his accidental death, and just seeing him being so damn grounded and well-balanced only serves to make his death all the more tragic. :(
A lot of actors don't like working TV shows because you are literally working morning to night, week after week. You have tons of publicity tours from one coast to another (remember that LA is 4 hours behind NYC), and there is a lot of hurry up-and-wait. It isn't a comedy show that gets to rehearse and block for three days before filming; hour long shows have to go in, film, move on in six days.
@@lesliebeckwith2483
Oh fiddlesticks! Don't be so ridiculous 🙄
So unfortunate his untimely death as he was on the verge of becoming Hollywood’s next Cary Grant ultimately allowing the likes of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt to then acquire their stardom in his wake. He was a true class act !!!! RIP
He had so much to give with divine looks like that playing the piano and with his studies and all... that was so unfair!
Good eye! It is Don Harron! He had his own talk show from 1983 to 1985. I've updated the title to reflect this.
He was a very fine looking man.And had a lovely voice.So sad that he passed away at 26.He would have gone on to greater things.in the acting world.
Lovely down to earth man who sadly didn't make it to the front cover of playgirl magazine. He died accidentally in November 1984.
RIP Beautiful soul
October 1984
@@TempeSoldier123 Thank You. For Correcting, JON-ERIK HEXUMS Passing. October 18, 1984.
He DID make it to the front cover of Playgirl. November 1984, which came out after his death.
I see a brilliant person that wants to be taken seriously as an actor but keeps getting bottle necked for his good looks. He's practically getting throttled here for choosing to not go full frontal in Playgirl. And he was a brilliant actor. Gone too soon. Rip.
Thank you so much for posting this 😊
The song that played during Jon-Erik's entrance is Heliopolis by Spyro Gyra.
Unreal. I'm speechless. Don Harron played the character Charlie Farquarson (sp?) on Hee Haw for 18 years. I only found out about this show on his WIKI bio page. I'm glad I did.
he gives me henry cavill vibes, i feel like he couldve been an amazing superman too
Or Batman, Aquaman, Captain America, Soldier Boy, etc. He got the face.
Hola soy de Argentina. Seria espectacular si subieras entrevistas de Hexum en castellano
thank you for uploading this.. Great to see this.........
WOW ❤ his looks voice 😍
He seemed like he was getting disillusioned with the business. I don't think he would have stayed in TV very long. Or Hollywood for that matter. You never know. He might have decided to join the military. Sad he grew so frustrated on set that he placed that gun against his head. He seemed surprised how conservative Hollywood was at the time. Lord, he was such a babe in the woods.
The interviewer is "astounded" that somebody actually did a days work to earn a buck. . . . Wow. I'm lost for words!
When Jon mentions that 23 new shows came about the previous season, and only 4 stayed on the air, "Airwolf" was one of them. Weird to think that he subtlety refers to it. Seemed like a grounded guy, but a bit moody.
Yes he seemed somewhat moody.
I think he was moddy because Don Herron kept talking over him and came off as patronizing.
@@BlowsAgainsttheEmpireI saw a few of his interviews and you’re right, he was like that in all of them.
RIP Jon-Erik (October 1984)
El hombre perfecto!!! 😉
!!! How on earth did Randall Kleiser PASS on casting the world's most perfect man in "Summer Lovers?!!" Unbelievable....
I remember the day the news broke that he died like it was yesterday. I have just never seen him n an interview. What a shame. He was a really good guy , down to earth.
Omg that episode was tribute to him so sad
He talks about Cover Up going "really slow" ...it seems that boredom and the tedium of working on the series was one of the reasons he started playing with the prop gun on that day. So sad.
good observation
@Charles Edwards it was prop gun probably used in the show it fired blanks so id say considering The show it was probably used in the show
I loved that show
The guy interviewing Jon Erik Hexum is kind of annoying.
I was thinking that myself...
more than likely why the interview wasn't original released.
He's just being, "White!!"
@@t.j.7789 😂😂😂😂 what?
@@t.j.7789
No he's just being annoying and you're being ignorant
He died as a result of an accidental self-inflicted blank cartridge gunshot wound to the head on the set of the CBS television series Cover Up in which he played the male lead.
Has puesto que la entrevista fue en diciembre de 1984 cuando el murió en octubre de ese año, como puede ser?
I would like to hear him sing, I bet he has a good voice, and a good ear. Hard to believe he is only 26. Seems more mature. The host is not very good. His S’s whistle, his voice is whispery and sqeaky, his questions are boring, and he only seems interested in Jon’s appearance.
there’s a video called tenefly with him singing with some high school friends. it’s on TH-cam you should check it out
Just a total waste of a fine young man with GREAT talent...
I can't fucking believe he was only 26 years old.
well he was
26 years old now is a lot different from what 26 years old was back in 1984.
@@mexicounexplained True but its not like all 26 year olds looked like that back then lol
@@robertd2499 🙄
We still remember him .
I don't like this interviewer.
The interviewer is awful. Patronizing, fawning, obsequious.
If ever they make a movie about his life. Henry cavill should definitely play him.
Човек је врх...толико је тога могао само да је проживео....био би не превазиђен до данас а сад би имао око 60 и неку и ЈОШ би био у топ форми....
QUE HOMBRE TAN ELEGANTE Y TAN EDUCADO
What a loss
Que voz tan bella tenía!!! todo el era hermoso que lástima su cagada
Oh right!
What show was this taken from?
Rambo 2
Tragic suicide.
This interview is interrogatory to know everything about his private life Never respected.Media without frontiers damage reputation and do whatever without dignity left.
What a terrible interviewer. He had to repeat things a few times and he kept interrupting John. No wonder his show didn’t last very long. And it’s awful that Jon-Erik had to keep putting up with all the stupid questions interviewers asked just because he was attractive. I guess beautiful women have had to put up with the same nonsense for years as well.
I think he and Tony Hamilton were very good "friends".
So? And what of it? 🙄
Dobtful. Tony admitted that there was professional jealousy between the two, as they often auditioned for the same roles. Maybe you fantasize about it, but JEH was totally straight.
Era bellísimo!!❤
Que voz más sexi!!!❤
Era perfecto❤
Solid guy with a head on his shoulders who was not afraid of hard work. What's there not to like!
Too bad his head wasn't as solid as he was.
Handsome guy with the killer voice. I was sad the day he went away. I'm sad again. What a loss.
I loved this show and really enjoyed watching him. But I can remember reading about his death. They reported that there were long delays in filming his parts and Hexum would get really bored. I noticed how he said in this interview that during the show it went really slow, like they worked for 15 hours. They said on the set one day that Hexum was really bored and picked up a prop pistol which he knew only contained a blank and put it to his temple and he pulled the trigger. He was mocking the fact about being so bored that he could just shoot himself. It was so sad that he didn't know that even a blank can cause serious injury if fired too close. The shock wave from the blank penetrated his skull and sent fragments of bone into his brain. He was declared brain dead a few days later. Such a beautiful man just starting what was probably going to be a very exciting career.
Actually, he was brain dead pretty much after surgery, they just put him on life-support because there is always that tiny less than 1% who come back. But in all honesty, I think they wanted to give his family and friends time to say goodbye and let his mom make the arrangements to donate his organs. His on-set act was pure stupidity, but his last act was pure love as it saved so many people.
So handsome and that voice a real man which is rare these days
He was so attractive.
the way the host speaks about cleaning women and men is so rude and unfair... our values in life should be connected with our decency and solidarity to others not with what we do...
Came across as a genuinely nice guy.
He was really quite humble and grounded... Such a loss....
Was Jon-Erik bisexual or gay? This is coming up a lot now!
@@valerietaylor3426
No, but even if he was....so what? 🙄
@@tweedledee5375 so It would be a sin to humanity
I had just turned 11 when he tragically passed. I was probably one of the few who watched Voyagers! weekly. So i was an upcoming huge fan in October of 84, when tragi incident unfolded and he died. I remember hearing he was brain dead, and in my shocked, young mind had a hard time coming to grips that he was really gone. I was thinking 'well his brain is dead, but his body isn't ' i can even remember asking my mom 'could you still live if your brain is dead?' I can remember her telling me (and its something thats stuck with me for the past almost 40 years)- 'yeah, a person can live when they're brain dead, but it would be nothing but machines that would keep them alive. Thats no way to live, and no one would want to live like that.' I suddenly got an image in my head of JEH being kept alive like that, and was pretty much glad he wasn't 'living' that. And thats how i came to terms with his passing (the first big star i really liked to pass). Yeah, it still hurts thinking about what could've came of him. Definitely gone way too soon.
JEH was a smart guy not a himbo. He would have had a great career. Tragic.
Thank you for this rare interview and keeping his memory alive! He had a lot of charisma and talent. Loved Voyagers so much. And Cover Up was cool.
Don Harron is talking to him as though he's a small child.
When you're good looking people talk to you like this out of jealousy or they think you don't know anything since you can't be good looking and smart ( amazing).
Shucks, to look like that and then have that voice to go along with it ... some guys have all the luck!
Simply Handsome & Charming 🤴❤️😍 😍
What a voice!!
Thank you for posting this.. my brothers and I used to watch him on the show Voyagers! when we were kids..so sad that he is gone....he is terribly missed..
Terrible interviewer.
He was so humble! 😔 So sad
Nobody's perfect but the interviewer makes a major gaffe of not listening. JEH says who he plays 0:38 and at 0:44 the host asks who he plays.
Nice to see these interviews especially this one being shown almost as a tribute and Don Harron saying that Jon Erik will be missed. Shame its not the best interview; Don doesnt seem to have done his homework and gets a few things wrong but Jon seems quite uncomfortable and not his usual self.
Does this host know anything?
Interviewer is definitely not the brightest bulb in the box..
All....American...good guy...all around...guy....masculine...
His hands are massive 😊😮
He's really humble. Anytime the host would big up talk his achievements Jon-Erik will downplay it. Seemed like a nice guy. Was was dating E.G Daily at the time he sadly passed . She said she visited him on set only an hour before his fatal accident that day
Has the looks and the down to earth personslity of Henry Caville. Could be brothers
The audience was just lifeless here...as bad as the interviewer.
That’s what I was thinking. JEH looked a bit bored too
Is that Don Harron doing the interview? The guy certainly looked like him.
'The Don Harron Show' succeeded 'The Alan Thicke Show', which succeeded 'The Alan Hamel Show'. CTV had a daytime talk show for many years, eh!
This man was gorgeous goddamn 😮
That voice! So hot 🔥🔥🔥
He was actually a very witty interesting chap.
Hexum sounds like David Puddy
It's interesting to see the dynamic between 'the hunk' and 'the host'. Jon is well versed, knowledgeable, cerebal.... and Don Harron is well 'fanzine-ing".
It must have been exhausting to have to constantly deal with people talking down to you as if you were stupid. I mean this guy was cleaning houses to make money! Just cuz he's strikingly handsome doesn't make him an idiot. RIP. I was 10 yrs old when he passed and I don't remember why his death was so heavily imprinted on my childhood. I remember it so vividly
Gotdayum it... Jon was so smart. What a loss 😢
He mentioned the movie Summer Lovers which he didn't get the part, Daryl Hannah was in it and Peter Gallagher which they both were in pretty good movies.. Jon didn't seem like his self in this interview... RIP JEH
Does anyone recall Don Harron doing a documentary, on sociology? I did see it, on either PBS, or TVO in 79, though I cannot recall the its title.
nicest guy in the world, and a body that was so sweet...
pitiful interviewer....wont let jon talk
I went to a couple of the don Harron talk show tapings in 1984. It was taped at the tv studio in Burnaby which is a part of the greater Vancouver area.
Interesting tidbit: don Harron replaced Alan Thicke as the host when Alan left to do his Thicke of the Night talk show in LA
man Voyagers was a great show, I had watched all of the episodes
Unfortunately, the wrong person in this interview lived. That Don Harron comes off as a dunce. Are all Canadians like that?
Are all Americans like Bill O'Reilly?
Nossa, além de lindo tinha um vozeirão da porra...
Boggs !
What happened to him?
Voz marcante