The man who created the show about the Cartwright family and their adventures on the Ponderosa Ranch has died. The "L.A. Times" reports David Dortort passed away in his sleep Sunday after a period of declining health. He was 93. Dortort was the creator and producer of "Bonanza" -- TV's second-longest running western after "Gunsmoke." He recently donated production records and other "Bonanza" memorabilia to L.A.'s Autry National Center museum and research institute."Bonanza" starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon. The show premiered on NBC in 1959 and was one of the first weekly series to air "in living color." Despite getting off to a slow start in its first season, "Bonanza" would become TV's top-rated show for most of the '60s, even while facing stiff competition from "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" on CBS. "Bonanza" was cancelled in 1973.
