Kevin James Dobson, the first husband of Australian actress Noni Hazlehurst, has died aged 73 after a devastating battle with cancer.
The Aussie director, known for The Thorn Birds and Gold Diggers, was born in Manchester, UK, and moved to Australia aged 14 under the Ten Pound Poms scheme.
Following a whirlwind romance, he married the Play School legend in 1975, when he was aged 22 and she was 21. They divorced in 1978, but it is understood that the split was amicable.
Dobson’s death was announced earlier this week on the Back To Crawford Productions social media page.
“It’s with a lot of sadness putting up this post, but an old mate passed away last night,” a spokesperson wrote on Facebook.
“Kevin James Dobson died in care in Melbourne from cancer and related issues.”
A follow-up post detailed Dobson’s achievements during his decades-long career, including how he had started working for Crawford Productions in the 1960s and lived in Hollywood for more than 30 years.
“When he came back to Australia, Kevin lived in Sydney until his illness took him to Melbourne approximately three months ago,” the post continued.
“He passed away in care in the outer Melbourne suburb of Lilydale. Rip Kev.”
The post was inundated with comments from those who knew Dobson and were fans of his work.
“I had many great times with Kevin. We worked and partied together. Sad to hear of his death although his spirit lives on,” one person penned.
“Very sad to hear about this. I worked with Kevin on Return To Eden for what seemed at least a year. He was quick witted and could manage any situation,” another said.
“Devastating news, so many adventures with Kevvie, RIP mate,” a third echoed.
“What a remarkable life indeed,” wrote a fourth.
Hazlehurst recently opened up about her marriage to Dobson, admitting their nuptials were “hasty” and “ill-conceived”.
“I got married the first time, I think, so I didn’t have to move back home,” she wrote in her 2024 memoir Dropping the Mask.
“It was a really hasty and ill-conceived match.”
She explained that the young actors “had no money” at the time and their relationship quickly went into a “downward spiral”.
After their marriage broke down, Hazlehurst said she was “less trusting”. “It made me determined to look a little beyond the surface,” she added.
The A Place to Call Home actress went on to marry Wolf Creek star John Jarratt in 1987, and they remained together until 1999.
She wrote in her book that she had been “in shock ever since” their divorce, claiming their marriage ended when he “grew close” to someone on the crew of Channel Seven’s Better Homes and Gardens.
“John and I had some wonderful times together – and then we didn’t,” she told Woman’s Day.
“That’s true of many relationships. They start off full of hope and optimism and, along the way, buried issues come to the surface.”