(ReliableNews.org) – The summer has not been kind to the entertainment industry this year. Several celebrities have lost their lives. Sadly, a former child star was among the dead.
Benjamin Gregory Hertzberg was known professionally as Benji Gregory. He played the role of Brian Tanner on the sitcom “ALF,” in the 1980s. On July 10, his sister, Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger, posted a message on his Facebook page revealing he was found dead on June 13. TThe actor was found in the parking lot of a bank in Peoria, Arizona.
According to Hertzberg-Pfaffinger, her brother went to the bank to deposit some residual checks. However, she believes he fell asleep in the car and died from heatstroke. His service dog, Hans, also died during that tragic incident. Arizona was in the middle of a heatwave at the time of their deaths. The temperatures reached 108 on June 12 and 111 on June 13.
Hertzberg was born in 1978 in the Los Angeles, California, area. He grew up in Thousand Oaks and began acting in commercials when he was a baby. His grandmother, Estelle Hertzberg, was a veteran talent agent who helped her grandson enter the entertainment industry.
In addition to “ALF,” the former child actor also appeared in “Punky Brewster,” “Amazing Stories,” and other sitcoms. He was also in the 1986 comedy “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Once Upon a Forest” in 1993. When Hertzberg was in his 20s, he quit acting and joined the US Navy. He served as an on USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft carrier, and eventually left the military after being honorably discharged.
The former actor’s personal life wasn’t always easy. He got married while he was serving in the Navy but later got divorced. Hertzberg-Pfaffinger said her brother suffered from depression and bipolar disorder. He received help for his mental illnesses, but he frequently posted about his struggles on social media.
Hertzberg is survived by his parents, stepfather, stepmother, brother, sister, and other extended family members.
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