Benji Gregory, the child actor who starred in the 1980s sitcom “ALF,” has died at the age of 46, his sister said.
Gregory was found dead in his car on June 13, along with his service dog, his sister Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger wrote on Facebook.
His vehicle was in a bank parking lot in Peoria, Arizona, the New York Times reported. Hertzberg-Pfaffinger said the family believes he went there on the evening of June 12 to deposit some residual checks that were found in his vehicle, but “never got out of the car before that.”
“He fell asleep and died of heat stroke in the vehicle,” she wrote.
According to AccuWeather, Arizona was experiencing a heat wave at the time. A high of 42 degrees Celsius was recorded on August 12 and a high of 43 degrees Celsius on August 13.
“Ben was a great son, brother and uncle. He was fun to be around and made us laugh a lot. Yet, when I go through his stuff, I find myself laughing at little videos or notes he made in between the tears,” his sister wrote.
Maricopa County coroner records show he died on June 13, but the cause and manner of death are still unknown.
Gregory was known for his role as the cheerful Brian Tanner on “ALF,” which aired from 1986 to 1990. The show followed the story of a furry alien named Alf — short for “Alien Life Form” — from the planet Melmac, who crash-landed in the Tanner family’s garage in California and was taken in by the family.
Gregory was born Benjamin Gregory Hertzberg in Encino, California, on May 26, 1978, according to his IMDb profile. He grew up in front of the camera, appearing in commercials, guest starring on shows like “The A-Team” and “The Twilight Zone,” and appearing in films including the 1986 film “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” with Whoopi Goldberg and the 1991 film “Never Forget.”
However, he retired from acting around the late 1990s. He joined the U.S. Navy and served at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, according to his IMDb profile.
His sister told the Times that he suffered from bipolar disorder and depression and was being treated for both.