'Grizzly Adams' star Dan Haggerty dead at 74

(FOX 11 / FOX News) - Dan Haggerty, best known for his role in "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams," died Friday morning, his close friend and manager told FOX411. He was 74.

The '70s star died of cancer surrounded by his kids, his manager told us. Haggerty had been battling cancer since July.

"He had cancer and had been fighting since July, and he had a great Thanksgiving and a great Christmas, and he died with his kids around him and people who love him," his manager said.

He added he spoke to the star yesterday on the phone and Haggerty told him he loved him.

Haggerty starred as the loveable mountain man first in the 1974 movie and later in the TV series by the same name. Haggerty's character, James Capen "Grizzly" Adams, was best friends with a grizzly bear in the 1977 show.

The show ran for two season on NBC, and Haggerty went on to guest star on several shows including "Charlie's Angels" and "CHiPs."

In more recent years, he had film roles in 2007's "Big Stan" and 2013's "Dead in 5 Heartbeats."

According to the International Movie Database, Haggerty had several films in post-production that are slated for release in 2016, such as "40 Nights" and "The Untold Story."