Child star Benji Gregory, known for the 1980s television sitcom Alf, has died. He was 46.
No cause of death has been ruled yet, but Gregory's sister said he was killed by heatstroke after falling asleep in his car.
Gregory was found dead in a Chase parking lot in Peoria, Arizona on June 13. His service dog also died with him.
Gregory was born into a family of actors in Encino, California on May 26, 1978.
Between 1986 and 1990, Gregory appeared in the sitcom Alf. The titular character, an alien life form whose real name is Gordon Shumway, is adopted by the Tanner family after crash-landing in their garage.
Gregory played Brian Tanner, one of the children in the Tanner family, for 101 episodes. The iconic main character, a brown, furry creature with a large snout, was played by puppeteer Paul Fusco, who created the show with Tom Patchett.
"It became quite natural to interact with ALF,” Gregory said in a 2022 interview with BTM Legends Corner, a show on YouTube.
RIP to actor Benji Gregory, who starred as Brian Tanner on the sitcom ALF. Gregory was just 46. pic.twitter.com/rWSoevrY1S
— LandOfThe80s (@landofthe80s) July 10, 2024
According to Gregory's sister, Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger, Gregory suffered from a sleep disorder that kept him awake for days, as well as depression and bipolar disorder.
The family believes Gregory fell asleep and died from vehicular heatstroke. He had gone to the bank to deposit some checks.
Gregory was found dead in his car along with his service dog, Hans, who was also dead.
"Ben was a great Son, Brother and Uncle. He was fun to be around and made us laugh quite often," Hertzberg-Pfaffinger wrote in a Facebook post.
"Still, going through his things, I find myself laughing at little videos or notes of his, in between crying."
Gregory also had small TV roles in shows like The A-Team, the 1985 reboot of The Twilight Zone, and Amazing Stories.
Later in life, Gregory joined the Navy and became an aerographer’s mate. He received an honorable medical discharge and married Sarah Gregory.
In a 2000 interview with People, Gregory said he was relieved when Alf was cancelled.
"I didn't want to do any more shows, but I don't regret any of it," he said.
RIP.
