One of the original Marlboro Men has died from a smoking related disease: Eric Lawson, who was the face of the cigarette in the 1970s, died yesterday at the age of 72 from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

According to Fox News, his wife Susan was the one who broke the news. Before getting the part as the iconic "Marlboro Man," he had bit parts in such TV shows as Baretta, Dynasty, and Baywatch. He continued acting until 1997, when an injury sustained on the set of a Western sidelined his career.

Lawson was a smoker from the age of 14, and even though he appeared in many anti-smoking ads, campaigns, and parodies, he continued to smoke, eventually developing COPD as a result of his nicotine addiction. "He knew the cigarettes had a hold on him," said Susan. "He knew, yet he couldn't stop."

And he's not the first Marlboro Man to succumb to a smoking-related disease, according to ABC News: "a few actors and models who pitched Marlboro brand cigarettes have died of smoking-related diseases. They include David Millar, who died of emphysema in 1987, and David McLean, who died of lung cancer in 1995."

COPD is a type of obstructive lung disease characterized by chronically poor airflow. It typically worsens over time. The main symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, and sputum production. Most people with chronic bronchitis have COPD. Tobacco smoking is the most common cause of COPD, with a number of other factors such as air pollution and genetics playing a smaller role. In the developing world, one of the common sources of air pollution is from poorly vented cooking and heating fires. Long-term exposure to these irritants causes an inflammatory response in the lungs resulting in narrowing of the small airways and breakdown of lung tissue known as emphysema. The diagnosis is based on poor airflow as measured by lung function tests. In contrast to asthma, the airflow reduction does not improve significantly with the administration of medication.

Lawson is survived by his wife, his six children, his 18 grandchildren, and his 11 great-grandchildren.