Benji Gregory, a former child actor and star of the 1980s sitcom “ALF,” has died at the age of 46.
On Wednesday, TMZ and The New York Times reported that Gregory’s sister, Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger, confirmed that he and his service dog, Hans, were found dead in his car on June 13 in the parking lot of a Chase bank in Peoria, Arizona.
Gregory portrayed Brian Tanner in “ALF” from 1986 to 1990. He also starred in various TV shows, including “The Twilight Zone,” “The A-Team” and “Fantasy Island,” as well as films such as “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Once Upon a Forest.”
Hertzberg-Pfaffinger first shared news of Gregory’s death in a Facebook post on Wednesday, writing, “It is with a heavy heart my family has suffered a loss way too early.”
“Ben was a great Son, Brother and Uncle. He was fun to be around and made us laugh quite often,” she continued. “Still, going through his things, I find myself laughing at little videos or notes of his, in between crying.”
Hertzberg-Pfaffinger added that she and the rest of Gregory’s family believe he visited the bank on the evening of June 12 to deposit residual checks but “never got out of the car to do so” and “fell asleep and died from vehicular heatstroke.”
While speaking with TMZ, Hertzberg-Pfaffinger noted that Gregory lived with depression and bipolar disorder and had a sleep disorder that prevented him from resting for days.
According to TMZ, the medical examiner’s office in Maricopa County, which is where most of Peoria is located, said Gregory’s cause of death is still pending.