Alan Landers, the one-time face of Winston cigarettes, has died at 68 of lung and throat cancer in the middle of a multi-million dollar legal action against his former employers, the Guardian reports. Landers, who was to testify next month, was among about 9,000 Florida smokers suing cigarette companies for failing to warn them of their products’ health risks.
“I was expected to portray smoking as stylish, pleasurable and attractive and at no time was I ever told cigarettes could be dangerous to my health,” Landers said two weeks ago. “Looking back on my career, I am ashamed that I helped promote such a lethal and addictive product.” According to his website, Landers was scheduled for a fourth round of chemotherapy yesterday. (More cigarettes stories.)