Tarzan: The Epic Adventures actor Joe Lara dies in plane crash alongside wife Gwen

Joe Lara, best known for starring in Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, has died at the age of 58, it has been reported.

The actor died in a private plane crash near Nashville on Saturday alongside his wife, Gwen Shamblin Lara, and five other people.

During a press conference, Rutherford County Fire Rescue Capt. Joshua Sanders said: ‘We are no longer… looking for live victims at this point.’

In a statement, the other victims were identified as  Jennifer J. Martin, David L. Martin, Jessica Walters, Jonathan Walters and Brandon Hannah, all from Brentwood, Tennessee.

The private jet, a Cessna Citation 501, crashed into Percy Priest Lake east of Nashville at around 11am, shortly after departing Smyrna Airport for Palm Beach, Florida. The National Transportation Safety Board began the investigation.

Joe’s wife Gwen was a reknowned diet guru having founded the Remnant Fellowship Church in Brentwood in 1999, and went on to use Bible studies to help people lose weight and quit drinking.

Joe, who was born in San Diego, California, is best known for playing Tarzan in the spin-off series from 1996 to 1997. He had also played the iconic character in the 1989 CBS TV movie Tarzan in Manhattan.

His other acting credits include; American Cyborg: Steel Warrior 1993, Steel Frontier, Warhead, Armstrong and Doomsdayer. Joe made the move from acting to country music in the early 2000s and released the album, Joe Lara: The Cry of Freedom, in 2009.

Joe and Gwen had their own YouTube channel, titled Life With Gwen and Joe, in which they gave fans glimpses of their relationship.

In a May 2020 video, Joe said during a sit-down interview with Gwen: ‘These days, I’m about being the best man I can be, being a good husband to this incredible woman right here, staying close to God and just trying to maximise my joy everyday.’

Poignantly along with scenes of Joe flying his private jet, Gwen then said: ‘That was beautiful. I can tell you what Joe’s about; Joe is about flying, he’s driven, he’s a go-getter, and when he tackles something he puts his heart and soul into it… when he stumbles, he gets back up and just keeps going after it.’

The couple married in 2018 and are survived by two adult children from Gwen’s first marriage; Michael Shamblin and Elizabeth Hannah.

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