Former child actor Benji Gregory has died at the age of 46.
Gregory appeared on the television show “ALF” in the role of Brian Tanner beginning when he was 8 years old, The New York Times reported. “ALF” aired from 1986 to 1990 and followed “an average American family” who finds a small, furry alien from the planet Melmac who eats cats and adopts him into their family, according to IMDB.
No official cause of death was announced, but Gregory’s sister, Rebecca Pfaffinger, said her brother and his service dog Hans were both found dead in his car on June 13 in Peoria, Arizona. She said they had fallen asleep in the vehicle and died of heatstroke.
He was found in the parking lot of a Chase Bank, according to Deadline.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed Gregory’s death but has not released the cause, Deadline reported.
Gregory spoke about his early acting career, appearing alongside another actor in the ALF costume.
“It became quite natural to interact with ALF,” he said in 2022, according to The New York Times.
In addition to “ALF,” which is streaming on several services, he appeared on “The A-Team,” “Punky Brewster” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” according to his IMDB biography.
His last role was in 1993′s “Once Upon a Forest” where he voiced the character Edgar.
After the end of his acting career, he joined the U.S. Navy and was an aerographer’s mate stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi. He received an honorable medical discharge in 2005, TMZ reported.
His sister said Gregory had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression but was getting treatment for both, the Times reported. She told TMZ he also had a sleep disorder that kept him awake for several days.
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