Gene O’Brien, stepfather to seven-time World Champion Team Roper Clay O’Brien Cooper, died Oct. 23 from injuries suffered in a highway accident two weeks earlier near his home in Rowland Heights, Calif. He was 82.
Clay learned to rope at his stepfather’s ranch in the San Fernando Valley, near Los Angeles, and became involved in acting at a young age due to his stepfather’s work as a wrangler on Western movies and television shows like Gunsmoke and Bonanza. Gene O’Brien ran a horse and cattle business from his ranch and produced team ropings on the weekends, in addition to his work in the entertainment business. He was still active in the cattle business at the time of his death; he and Debra Scott have 150 head at the Rowland Heights property they have operated for the past 18 years.
Gene O’Brien, left, with Clay O’Brien Cooper, right.