James Arness dies at 88; TV's Marshal Dillon on landmark 'Gunsmoke' series

Strong, rugged, a man’s man is how I always looked at Jamez Arness. He was the TV version of John Wayne. Los Angeles TimesJames Arness, the towering actor best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon, the strong and commanding symbol of frontier justice on the landmark TV western series "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He was 88.Arness died of natural causes at his home in Brentwood, said family