FORMER child star Benji Gregory died at the age of 46.
Benji Gregory, the child star on the hit sitcom Alf, was found dead on June 13 in Arizona.
Gregory’s sister Rebecca reported he was found dead in his car outside a Chase Bank, TMZ reported.
The actor’s cause of death is still yet to be revealed, but his sister said the star suffered from depression, bipolar disorder, and a sleep disorder.
Although nothing has been confirmed, people close to Gregory suspect that he went to the bank on June 12 to deposit residual checks, fell asleep, then died of heat stroke.
The Alf star’s service dog Hans, who accompanied him to the bank, died also.
The star first posted a picture of his adorable pug in March 2021, with a close-up picture of his face and the simple caption “Hans.”
The actor last posted a picture of a sidewalk with the caption, “Wish my dog, Hans, would grow out of this ‘tagging’ phase already.”
The picture was posted on April 10, and some fans found it strange he hasn’t posted since then.
In May, one fan commented, “Hey buddy! I hope you’re well. I notice you haven’t posted for a while–I hope that doesn’t mean the Black Dog has turned up for a visit.”
“Been there, my friend. Thinking of you; stay happy.”
After Gregory’s death was announced, fans rushed to his Instagram to express their condolences and heartbreak over the loss of both the actor and his dog.
“RIP Ben. RIP Hans. My sincere condolences to your loved ones,” one fan commented under the post.
Rebecca told TMZ, “their family is grieving a great loss and appreciate everyone’s thoughts and kind words.”
She asks people to donate in Benji’s name to The Actors Equity Foundation or ASPCA, two charities he loved.
From 1986-1990, Gregory played the role of Brian Tanner on the sitcom Alf.
The show, which ran for over 100 episodes, followed the Tanner family, who took in the alien, Alf, after he crashed into their California home.
Throughout the four season series, the Tanner family made it their mission to hide Alf from curious neighbors and government agencies.
As Gregory played the role of Brian Tanner, he took on some other acting roles at the same time.
His other roles include appearances in Fantastic Max, The A-Team, and The Twilight Zone, Daily Mail reported.
He also voiced Edgar the Mole in the animated film Once Upon a Forest.
While he played parts in other shows and films, Gregory’s role as Brian Tanner seems to still resonate with audiences.
Last year, the actor posted a picture of headshots of his younger self along with letters from fans spread out across his table.
“Finally taking care of all the autograph requests from the last couple of months,” he captioned the photo.
Dozens of fans from all over the world commented on the post.
“Hi Benji,” one fan commented.
“Greetings from Argentina! I am still watching Alf these days! The show is so popular here!”
“Wish you the best!”
Gregory didn’t continue his acting career much longer after Alf wrapped up.
In 2003 Gregory made a drastic career shift as he enlisted in the United States Navy.
The former actor served in the Navy until he was released with an honorable medical discharge in 2005.
“Lover of dogs, traveling, late-night runs, music, podcasts, Navy, bipolar, major depression disorder, GAD, ALF, VR, Nike, Cinema 4D, Creative Cloud,” the star’s Instagram bio read.
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