In 1994, author William Keck worked for the National Enquirer when he tried to conduct a deathbed interview with Dallas star Dack Rambo. Rambo passed away in 1994 from AIDS complications at 52.
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"There are so many stories that I was not proud to have my byline associated with," Keck told Fox News Digital. "The main one is what I called 'Chapter 11' in my book, which is very appropriate that I called it Chapter 11 because it was my moral bankruptcy."
He learned that Rambo was at the hospital and close to death. An anonymous tipster called the magazine and told them that a popular TV star was dying from AIDS at the hospital. "With that in mind, I knew this could potentially be another big tabloid story," Keck wrote. "And I was also fairly certain I knew the secret identity of the dying actor."
"According to my source (whose mother, it turned out, was the one who actually worked at the hospital as a nurse), Rambo had been checked in by a male friend the night before," Keck wrote in his memoir. "Because of his weakened condition, he could only scratch an X on the forms in place of his signature. He'd tried to shield his carcinoma-covered face behind a sheet, and though alert, appeared confused.
'Dallas' Star Died In 1994
Keck ended up going to the hospital with a fellow reporter to try to speak with the Dallas star. He described the experience as horrible and that it made him feel terrible. They never even met Rambo. His bed was empty by the time they arrived. However, the outlet still published the story as his last interview. Kelce claims that a fellow reporter fabricated the entire thing.
"The article came out a few weeks before Dack's valiant battle ended in March 1994 at age 52 in his hometown of Delano, CA," Keck wrote. "Whatever last words, if any, were actually spoken by the once gorgeous silver fox with a perfectly placed mole on his left cheek, we'll never know. In the years since, the actor's mother, Bea (who'd already buried Dack's twin brother, Dirk, following a tragic 1967 auto accident) and his siblings, Bill and Beatrice, all passed."
"Even though the article painted Rambo as a proud, brave, grateful and benevolent soul who died with dignity, they weren't his words and never should have appeared in print," Keck claimed. He isn't sure if the family even knew.
"I think I certainly would've heard from the family if they were furious about the story ... that was completely fabricated," he said. "This was a rural family. They had already gone through the loss of Dack's twin brother in a motorcycle accident at an early age. So this was a family grieving. I think they probably just decided to bury their heads. Maybe they weren't even aware. I don't know."
