‘Little House on the Prairie’ Star Has Fans in Tears With Emotional New Video originally appeared on Parade.
Dean Butler is paying his respects to the real-life Ingalls family
This week, the “Little House on the Prairie” star, 69, shared a TikTok video of himself of his visit to Ingalls family gravesite in South Dakota. The actor, who portrayed Almanzo Wilder, showed the individual gravesites of the historic family and placed flowers on the baby of Laura Ingalls and Wilder, who was only a few weeks old when he passed away.
For Butler, the cemetery visit especially hit close to home.
“Visited the De Smet Cemetery today,” he captioned the video. “Seeing the grave of Laura and Almanzo’s baby son was especially moving, a powerful reminder of the real lives behind the stories.”
Fans of the show were quick to comment, commending Butler for his visit and his tribute to the family.
“It’s amazing how you honor that family!” one commenter wrote. “There couldn’t have been a better person to portray Almanzo and continue on representing the historic family! Thank you, thank you!”
“That’s so special” another commenter said, while a third shared, “that brought tears to my eyes.”
Related: ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Star Makes Surprising Confession About First Kiss With Melissa Gilbert in Resurfaced Interview
An additional TikTok user also mentioned the connection between Butler and the baby.
“To see the grave of a baby your character had and lost must be so difficult to honor,” they said.
“Little House on the Prairie” aired from 1974-1983. Actress Melissa Gilbert played author Laura Ingalls, who’s books about growing up in the midwest in the 1800s inspired the show.
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‘Little House on the Prairie’ Star Has Fans in Tears With Emotional New Video first appeared on Parade on Jul 24, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
