Gregory was best known for his role as Brian Tanner in the hit 1980s sitcom “ALF.”
Benji Gregory, who starred as a child in the hit TV sitcom ‘ALF,’ has died at 46 years old, according to his family.
His sister, Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger, shared on social media that Gregory and his service dog Hans were found dead in his vehicle in an Arizona bank parking lot on June 13. His family believes he fell asleep in the car and died of heatstroke. The New York Times reports an official cause of death is still pending.
“It is with a heavy heart my family has suffered a loss way too early,” she wrote. “Ben was a great Son, Brother and Uncle. He was fun to be around and made us laugh quite often.”
Gregory’s sister told TMZ that he suffered from depression, bipolar disorder and a sleep disorder that would often keep him awake for days at a time.
Gregory took on the role of Brian Tanner in NBC’s “ALF” when he was 8 years old. The hit show, featuring a suburban family who takes in a fuzzy alien (whom they name Alien Life Form, or “ALF” for short) from planet Melmac that crashes into their garage, aired from 1986 to 1990. He made guest appearances on a number of shows throughout the 80s, like “The A-Team,” “T.J. Hooker,” “Amazing Stories” and “The Twilight Zone,” and voiced Biff Tannen Jr. on the animated “Back to the Future” series.
He eventually left the entertainment industry and enlisted in the U.S. Navy, becoming an aerographer’s mate, before an honorable medical discharge in 2005.