AceShowbiz -

"Dallas" star Larry Hagman is battling cancer. The 80-year-old actor, who is famous for playing villainous J.R. Ewing on the 1980s prime-time soap opera, revealed in a statement released on Friday, October 14 that he has been diagnosed with "a very common and treatable form of cancer."

"As J.R. I could get away with anything - bribery, blackmail and adultery. But I got caught by cancer," said the "I Dream of Jeannie" actor who had battled cancer before. In the mid-1990s, he underwent a liver transplant due to cirrhosis of the liver. While he made public his recent battle with cancer, he didn't elaborate on what type of cancer he has.

Despite the diagnosis, Larry will go ahead with the work on TNT's "Dallas" reboot, which begins production Monday, October 17. "I will be receiving treatment while working on the new Dallas series," he said. "I could not think of a better place to be than working on a show I love, with people I love. Besides, as we all know, you can't keep J.R. down!"

Warner Horizon Television, TNT and those working on the new "Dallas" have expressed their complete support for Larry. In a joint statement, they said, "We look forward to watching Larry once again work his magic by bringing one of television's most interesting, complex and controversial characters back to the screen in the new Dallas series."