Robert Norris, the original Marlboro Man used in advertisements, has passed away at the age of 90 at his ranch in Colorado Springs.
He was survived by his two daughters and two sons, 13 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren.
Norris was featured in magazines and billboards as the Marlboro Man for more than a decade. With a cigarette in his hand or hanging out of his mouth, he sported a cowboy hat in wild terrain.
Even though he was photographed holding cigarettes, Norris revealed that he never smoked and also quit the advertisement campaign for the benefit of his children.
Norris was still young when he decided that he wanted to be a cowboy. At the age of 18, he started raising horses and eventually moved from Illinois to Colorado to purchase his ranch, which he managed to grow to 63,000 acres.
At that time, Marlboro cigarettes were originally marketed for women, and advertising executives were thinking about how to sell the products to men.
That’s when Chicago advertiser Leo Burnett came up with the idea of the Marlboro Man – a rugged cowboy smoking in wild terrain.
For the authenticity’s sake, Burnett looked for real cowboys.
Norris’s son, Bobby, said in an interview with KKTV that advertising executives found his dad in a newspaper with his friend John Wayne, an actor.
“They walked out of their car, these guys in their pinstripe suits, and they walked up to Dad and they said: ‘How would you like to be in commercials for Marlboro cigarettes?’” Bobby recalled.
“He said, “Well, I’m kind of busy right now. Why don’t you come back next week, and, if you’re serious, we’ll talk.” They came back the next week,” he added.
For 12 years, Norris appeared in magazines and on billboards. He became the first Marlboro Man to appear on television in both Europe and the US.
But he was never a smoker and eventually decided to quit the campaign as he felt he was not setting a good example for his children.
Speaking about his father, Bobby said: “He always told us kids: “I don’t ever want to see you smoking.”
“So one of us finally asked: ‘If you don’t want us smoking, why are you doing cigarette commercials?’”
That same day, Norris contacted Phillip Morris to tell him he was done.
Norris worked on his ranch and raised more animals.
Rest in peace, Mr. Norris!
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