Jon-Erik Hexum was a rising star in the 1980s. Known for his good looks, charm, and talent, he was best recognized for his role as Phineas Bogg in the NBC series Voyagers! and later in the CBS show Cover Up. Despite his promising future, his life was tragically cut short in an on-set accident that shocked Hollywood and raised serious questions about safety in the entertainment industry.
Jon-Erik Hexum’s Career and Tragic Fate
Jon-Erik Hexum seemed destined for greatness. Born on November 5, 1957, in Englewood, New Jersey, he pursued acting after studying at Michigan State University. His breakthrough role came with Voyagers!, where he played a time-traveling adventurer. His career continued to gain momentum, leading to his starring role in Cover Up, where he played a CIA operative posing as a model.
On October 12, 1984, while filming an episode of Cover Up, Hexum’s life came to a devastating end. During a break in filming, he playfully picked up a prop gun loaded with blanks, joking about the delays on set. Tragically, he placed the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger, unaware of the dangers posed by blank cartridges. The blank’s explosive force caused a fatal brain injury. Hexum was rushed to the hospital but died six days later. He was only 26 years old.
Hollywood’s Ongoing Safety Issues
Hexum’s death highlighted the dangers of working with firearms on set. Unfortunately, his case is not the only tragedy linked to the mishandling of weapons in Hollywood.
One of the most infamous cases occurred in 1993, when Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, was killed while filming The Crow. A prop gun that was supposed to fire blanks was unknowingly loaded with a fragment of a real bullet. During a scene, Lee was shot in the abdomen and later died from his injuries. He was just 28 years old.
More recently, in October 2021, actor Alec Baldwin was involved in a fatal shooting on the set of the film Rust. While rehearsing a scene, Baldwin discharged a firearm that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. Investigations revealed multiple safety lapses, including the improper handling of firearms and inadequate oversight of on-set procedures.
