'Walking Tall' star Joe Don Baker breathes his last at 89

Joe Don Baker, the rugged star of Walking Tall, has passed away at the age of 89.

With heavy hearts, his family announced via an online obituary that Baker passed away on May 7, 2025. His cause of death was not disclosed.

"His intellectual curiosity made him a voracious reader, inspiring a great love of nature and animals, particularly cats," they penned a heartfelt tribute for the late star. "Throughout his life, Joe Don touched many lives with his warmth and compassion, leaving an indelible mark on everyone fortunate enough to know him."

Baker started his career with minor gigs in television and eventually progressed to major acting roles as a leading man before becoming a character actor.

Throughout his decades-long career, he has performed in 57 movies, including Walking Tall, Mitchell, and more.

Until his retirement in 2012, he landed co-starring supporting roles in other major projects, namely Charlie Varrick.

The broad-shouldered Texas tough guy was known for his performance as good and bad guys througout three Bond films.

He portrayed both a villain and an ally, playing Brad Whitaker in The Living Daylights (1987) with Timothy Dalton and CIA agent Jack Wade in GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) with Pierce Brosnan.

He performed in numerous television productions, including a starring role in the popular series Eischied and an outstanding performance on the acclaimed British television production of Edge of Darkness, which earned him a Best Actor nomination from the British Academy of Television.