June Lockhart's 'Cougar' Past Resurfaces After Death: How Her 'Liberated' Life Defied Her Motherly Reputation

June Lockhart, the actress beloved for her maternal roles in Lassie, Lost in Space, and Petticoat Junction, died of natural causes on October 23, 2025, at her home in Santa Monica. She was 100. Her family confirmed the news through a spokesperson. While tributes have focused on her decades-long career and wholesome screen presence, a lesser-known chapter of her life is resurfacing—one that reveals a woman far more daring and liberated than her TV persona suggested.

A Relationship That Defied Convention

In the early 1970s, Lockhart entered a relationship that challenged Hollywood norms and public expectations. At age 47, she began dating 21-year-old actor Bob Corff after seeing him perform in the musical Hair. What began with a fan letter and a phone call quickly evolved into a romance that lasted more than five years.

'It is amazing,' Lockhart told reporters at the time. 'So many women are having the same delightful good fortune that I am—to be loved by a young person.' Her daughters, Anne and June Elizabeth, were supportive. Anne, then 19, joked, 'Don't hog him, mother!' Lockhart said the dynamic worked: 'They come to me for motherly advice, and since he's not far from the teens himself, they ask Bob for his point of view. He is an old soul, older than me.'

Living Liberated

Lockhart's reputation as a reserved TV matriarch stood in contrast to her personal philosophy. 'I have always been liberated,' she said in an interview. 'I have always been encouraged to explore, take risks and to dare. When you dare, you are alive!' She and Corff lived together, traveled together, and openly discussed their decision not to marry. 'Frankly, we don't expect this to go on until I am in my 80s,' she said. 'But when I say that, Bob sometimes asks, 'Why not?'

Their openness drew admiration from fans. Lockhart said she received only three hate letters, compared to many supportive messages from women in similar relationships. 'It's kind of touching,' she said. 'Usually, people only write to knock you.'

Hands-On and Heart-Forward

Lockhart wasn't just a romantic partner—she was a mentor. When Corff was cast as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, she helped him prepare by connecting him with a Paulist priest and sharing her knowledge of Catholic tradition. 'He worked with me for hours,' Corff recalled. 'As a Jew, my knowledge of Jesus Christ was minimal.'

Though the relationship didn't last into her later years, Lockhart reflected on it with warmth. 'The young man and I had a glorious relationship,' she said. 'We were together for about five and a half years, and I wouldn't take anything in the world for that experience.'

A Legacy Beyond the Screen

Born in New York City in 1925 to actors Gene and Kathleen Lockhart, June Lockhart's career spanned more than eight decades. She won a Tony Award at 22, starred in classic films like A Christmas Carol and Meet Me in St. Louis, and became a television icon in the 1960s. But her off-screen life—bold, unapologetic, and full of joy—adds depth to a legacy that continues to inspire.

Lockhart once said, 'Acting is what I do. It's not what I am.' In light of her personal choices, that statement rings truer than ever.