Secrets Of TV’s The Rifleman: More Than Just Guns And Good Times

Coffin Nails

Cigarettes weren’t viewed as the devil incarnate back in the 1950s when The Rifleman was shot. Even so, Lucas McCain’s character was only shown smoking a cigarette once on the show.

But in real life, Chuck Connors smoked 60 cigarettes a day – three packs! He died at age 71 in 1992 from complications of lung cancer and pneumonia. His tombstone pays tribute to The Rifleman, with a photo of him as Lucas McCain.