In 1970, the world was saddened hearing that the famous Mr. Ed had died. In 1979, the world was saddened hearing that the famous Mr. Ed had passed away. Wait, what?
It's true- there are two dates when Mr. Ed allegedly died. The confusion stems from the studio's promotional department. The real Mr. Ed was Bamboo Harvester, a famous palomino who was used in Hollywood for movies. Sadly, Bamboo Harvester struggled with kidney and liver damage and passed away in 1970.
So the horse that died in 1979 must have been a fraud, right? Not exactly. He was used in publicity shots and personal appearances, since Bamboo Harvester was typically too busy filming to do them. In fact, after Bamboo Harvester had passed away, the unnamed publicity horse became the official "Mr. Ed". If a local station chose to air Mr. Ed reruns during the 1970's and wanted some publicity, the studio would make the second one available. When he died in 1979, the news media latched onto him as being "Mr. Ed".
