Wings Hauser’s wife, Cali Lili Hauser, shared the news in an Instagram post on Wednesday, March 19.
“Movie icon Wings Hauser took flight in the arms of his film & music partner, Cali Lili Hauser at their studio this weekend,” the post read. “Born in Hollywood, proud Academy member and prouder son of Academy Award winning writer, director, producer Dwight A. Hauser and loving mother Geraldine T. Hauser, Wings Hauser’s one of a kind, legendary career spanned 58 years in movies, tv & music working alongside many of the greatest artists in the industry and earning their respect,” the statement continued.
Wings was a well-known actor, who had starred in a variety of different shows, including Murder, She Wrote, Perry Mason, and Criminal Minds. Many fans would also recognize him for his role as Greg Foster on The Young in the Restless. He first appeared on the soap opera in 1977 and was on as recently as 2010.
In an October 2021 interview with Cowboys & Indians, Cole, who plays Rip Wheeler on Yellowstone, explained that he didn’t have a close relationship with his dad after his parents divorced. He recalled seeing a guy with the same last name as him on television and he asked his mom, Cass Warner, about it.
“She explained to me who he was. And that’s how I found out about my dad,” Cole recalled. In the years that followed, he was able to build a relationship with his dad — who was a fan of Yellowstone.
“He’s a huge fan of the show, and is obviously very proud of what I’ve done in it. He’s an old cowboy, after all. Our family, the Hauser side of the family, are all Montanans. So, it’s very close to him. We have family in Helena and Livingstone and all over the state,” Cole, who turns 50 on Saturday, March 22, told Cowboys & Indians.
Wings Hauser, 78, is survived by his wife, and his two kids; Cole and his sister, Bright Hauser. At the time of this writing, Cole hadn’t spoken out about his dad’s death.