Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert has shared a heartfelt tribute to her TV dad, Michael Landon, on what would have been his 90th birthday.
​Melissa, who played Michael’s on-screen daughter Laura Ingalls in the 1970s series, posted several rare pictures of them together on set.
​”Ninety years. I wonder what you would think of that. I can almost hear your laugh, see that enchanting twinkle in your eyes, and feel your arms around me,” Melissa wrote in her tribute on Intsgaram.
​She also remembered how he “took her hand and changed her life forever.”
​”You taught me so much more than how to be a professional. You taught me to be brave, to trust myself, to find humor in the hardest moments, and to lead with my heart,” Melissa continued.
In the throwback pictures, one photo showed the pair laughing, highlighting their close relationship.
​For those unversed, Michael played Charles “Pa” Ingalls for the show’s first eight seasons.
​As Melissa spent a big chunk of her teenage years with Michael on set, she admitted he became a father figure to her in real life.
​Melissa, whom Michael affectionately called “half-pint,” reflected, “On what would have been your 90th birthday, I find myself thinking less about how long you’ve been gone and more about how much of you remains.
​”The legacy of your wonderful work, but more importantly, the legacy of the beautiful family you created. Oh Mike, you would be so proud of all of them,” she concluded. “As for me, in my heart, I’ll always be that little girl running down a grassy hill, knowing you’re there to catch me.”
​Michael died in 1991, two years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
