Miss Kitty kept bringing in viewers until the final season. Amanda stepped down and was replaced by another character. The change wasn’t received well and Gunsmoke only got one season after that. Amanda kept busy after ending her run on the show. She was a passionate animal conservationist, especially for big cats. She and her husband had the honor of being the first people to successfully breed cheetahs in captivity. Her Gunsmoke costars even got to meet her pet lion cub Kumo. Philanthropy was as important to her as her career. She started PAWS, a wildlife refuge for rescued animals. She spent her final years on a ranch with rescued animals.
Her legacy lives on to this day. She’s been inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers and received the President’s Medal of Courage. More wildlife refuges have also been instated in her honor. Despite her public presence, much of her life was mysterious, even her death. The true cause was hidden for years until it came out after a dispute over her estate. Another important question went unanswered for years. Why did she leave Gunsmoke? Why would she stop playing such an iconic character that she’d gotten so used to?
