On the beloved historical drama Little House on the Prairie, the pioneering Ingalls family survives many hardships and obstacles, but few were more heartrending than the death of Charles “Freddy” Ingalls Jr. in the first season. The infant son of Charles (played by Michael Landon) and Caroline (Karen Grassle), and brother of series narrator Laura (Melissa Gilbert) became ill and passed away in the 13th episode, “The Lord is My Shepherd,” which originally aired on December 18, 1974.
How Did Charles Ingalls Jr. Die on ‘Little House on the Prairie’?
In this tearjerker, young Laura, who is jealous of her father’s attention on his infant son, refuses to pray for the baby’s recovery — and later regrets it. Melissa says that like Laura and her “Pa,” she and series creator and star Michael had a very special relationship from the day they met. “He asked me to tell him stories and I read a scene with him and I made him laugh,” she recalls to Closer of her audition at age 9. “He had this incredibly infectious laugh. I just felt instantly safe and comfortable and ready to work with him at a moment’s notice.”
What Do Fans Think Killed the Baby?
The cause of death of Charles Ingalls’ longed for only son, has been the source of speculation over the years. “He died shortly after his birth when he was not gaining any weight but eating a lot. He had a low red blood cell count,” says Little House on the Prairie Wiki. On Facebook, fans theorized that little Freddy was suffering from leukemia or another blood ailment.
Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Sue Anderson, Melissa Gilbert and Lindsay Greenbush
Was Charles Ingalls Jr. a Real Person?
Little House on the Prairie, which ran from 1974 to 1982, is based on the third of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s autobiographical children’s books based on her upbringing in the American west. Although her younger brother, Charles Frederick Ingalls, is not mentioned in the Little House novels, she did write about him in Pioneer Girl, her non-fiction memoir. Laura revealed that her younger brother fell ill and a doctor was called in while her family was visiting her Uncle Peter and his wife, Eliza, in Zumbro Fall, Minnesota. “But little brother got worse instead of better, and one awful day he straightened out his little body and was dead,” she handwrote in the manuscript.
The Wabasha County records list the death of young “Fred Ingalls” from diarrhea on August 27, 1876. “Whether Freddy’s death was caused by a bacterial infection, viral infection, parasite, food intolerance, or something else is unknown, but it is likely that if Freddy had lived in the modern world, his illness could have easily and successfully been treated,” notes Pioneergirl.com. The Ingalls family bible recorded that he was buried in South Troy, Minnesota.
What Happened to the Ingalls Family on ‘Little House on the Prairie’?
While Charles Sr. and Caroline never birthed another son, they did eventually grow their family when they adopted Albert Quinn (Matthew Labyorteaux) and James and Cassandra Cooper (Jason Bateman and Melissa Francis). Oldest daughter Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) wed Adam Kendall (Linwood Boomer) while Laura would bring Almanzo Wilder (Dean Butler) into the clan when they married in season 7.
Through the joys and hardships experienced by the Ingalls family, the series creators explored universal themes of love, grief, loyalty, empathy and the importance of community. “Laura’s books were about what people did to survive, how they lived, how they built their homes, how they cooked their meals, how they made their clothes,” Dean, who played Almanzo, tells Closer. “Michael’s take on Little House was what people felt about what they did. It’s an exploration of emotional life. That’s why people feel like when they turn it on and watch it, they’re stepping into a family. Maybe, a family they never had themselves.”