Photo gallery: Dallas star Larry Hagman's legacy

Larry Hagman, who shot to worldwide fame for his portrayal of the oilman villain J R Ewing in the US television series Dallas, has died at the age of 81 after losing a battle with cancer, his family said yesterday.

Hagman first became a TV star in 1965 in the comedy series I Dream of Jeannie, but it was not until 1977, when the soap opera Dallas came along, that his Hollywood career really took off.