New Delhi, Oct. 4 -- Jim Mitchum, the eldest son of legendary Hollywood actor Robert Mitchum, has died at the age of 84. A family spokesperson confirmed that he passed away on September 20 at his ranch home in Skull Valley, Arizona, following a long illness.

Born James Robin Spence Mitchum in Los Angeles on May 8, 1941, he was the first child of Robert Mitchum and Dorothy Spence Mitchum.

His birth was memorable: Robert, then a struggling actor, had to rush from a stage performance - still in costume as a Russian peasant - to be at the hospital. The family lived modestly at first, sharing a converted chicken coop in West Hollywood with extended relatives, before Robert's career took off.

Though his mother tried to keep him out of show b...